


An Ocean of Mirrors

by Mysterious_Loser



Category: Star Ocean: The Second Story | Second Evolution
Genre: Adult Themes, Angst, Crossover between the SO2 game and SO EX, Dark Undertones, Dense narrative, Drama, Expanded universe (Not Star Wars. An actual expansion on the SO Universe), Expel and Nede terminology, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Multi, Novelization, Novelization with a twist, Other, PA focus, Slow Burn, Tragedy, Yes this is still a novelization even though we go to wild and crazy places, character exploration
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-09 08:58:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 110,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13478082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysterious_Loser/pseuds/Mysterious_Loser
Summary: With all of her heart, Rena believed that he was their Warrior of Light, no matter what he said. An expanded novelization of the events of Star Ocean 2 and Star Ocean EX. Spoilers apply. PAs, NPCs, world exploration and folklore will also be a focus.





	1. Rise to Fame

**Author's Note:**

> Someone might recognize this story from Fanfiction.net. Yes, it used to live there once upon a time. Actually, come to think of it, next year will be this story’s 10-year anniversary. I pulled the story and reworked it from behind the scenes. So why post it here instead of back to Fanfiction.net? Well, why not?
> 
> For all old and new readers, I just wanted to take this moment to provide a rather long, boring, and arduous ramble about what exactly this novelization entails. You’re more than welcome to skip this and move into the first chapter, but I feel that I need to write this preface, anyway.
> 
> Star Ocean 2 is one of my favorite games of all time and I began this novelization MAAAAAAANY years ago as homage to all of the old geocities/angelfire Star Ocean sites who had written their own Star Ocean 2 novelizations, as well as amazing fanfics. This is an expanded novelization, and by that I mean EXPANDED. Like, it draws a lot of influences from ideas in Dragon Age and hierarchical tropes of Game of Thrones—not to say that that’s what this is at all. The world is expanded, Heraldic Arts are discussed in in-depth detail, folklore about Expel and Nede are revealed—like the Warrior of Light, and the characters go from being partial two-dimensional figureheads to rounded, two-dimensional characters with pasts, histories, old flames, and made-up families to enhance personality and morals, but not take away. My intention is to still remain true to Star Ocean, the overall concept of its world, and the characters. That’s what I mean by expansion. NPCs join the cause for the search into the Sorcery Globe, like Alen Tax. And, allow me to clarify, Alen is not an OC. He is a part of the game’s expansive repertoire of characters, and one that I am very fond of. PA events are also expanded upon, even super subtle ones that come from both Rena and Claude’s POVs. Like, for example, the PA that infers that Bowman and Celine were, at one point, engaged. That one comes into play. Also, since Star Ocean EX is a branch from Star Ocean 2, I use a lot of material from the anime (as cringe-worthy as some of the scenes are). And all of the characters will be in the story. Star Ocean EX did (most of) it in a unique way (despite it having been executed, as a whole, poorly), and I’m confident that I can do it without clogging the arteries of the story. Also, most of the spelling of names and places will come from the original SO2 Playstation game, so even though Claude Kenny was spelled that way on the characters page of this story, he will be referred to as Claude Kenni. I’m rather partial to the old spellings, haha.
> 
> I’ve spent the last couple of years of this story’s remission reworking characters, plot points, and the overall chapters. I hope that you enjoy the story for what it is and that it doesn’t stray too far from the intended purpose of the game and anime. That being said, I’m excited to see the story back online and among the Star Ocean community. I hope that you will feel the same.
> 
> (Guess that ramble wasn’t as long as I thought that it would be)
> 
> ~ML

**\/\/\/**

**An Ocean of Mirrors**

**Chapter One**

**Rise to Fame**

**\/\/\/**

“ _Stop crying. If you cry too much, you won’t have any tears left. You should laugh with me. If you laugh, then the things that are wrong won’t seem so bad.”_

… _Dias…_

“ _Here, do you want some candy? I’ll give you some.”_

… _Where did you go…?_

“ _That’s right. Hold out your hand…There you are. Is that enough? I have more if you want some. Don’t be shy, I have plenty.”_

… _I miss you…_

“ _By the way, I’m Dias Flac. What’s your name?”_

\/\/\/

“I’m leaving! Bye!”

A door latch unfastened, a click resounded, and a moment later, the door from a small house in the corner of Arlia Village opened. A young girl with wild blue hair darted from the steps, red fabric flying behind her in the form of a small cape. Westa hurried down the stairs at the sound of her daughter’s voice. Even at forty-two, she prided herself on keeping her body fit and nimble. She could still outrun her daughter when necessary, now being one of those times. Her navy hair whipped around her face as she jumped the last step, and paused long enough to smooth it back. It looked less wild than the girl’s, and pulled into a pony tail. The strands that had fallen free during her run wrapped like a wire around her round face. Sweat formed at her hairline from hours of house cleaning, something she wished her daughter would partake in. At least her room, if anything. Westa clenched the wet rag in her hand and wiped the other on her stained apron. Then she set the wet rag on the end table next to the stairs and walked outside.

Her daughter hadn’t gotten far, and she called out, “Hold on just a minute, young lady.”

The accused whirled back to the house, confused brows knitted together. Westa stepped off the porch, deep wrinkles set around her eyes and at the creases of her frown. Arms crossed, she approached her daughter and shook her head.

“What, Mom?” The girl tilted her head to one side and even had the bravery to smile.

Westa wasn’t in the mood for smiles, even if they were as lovely as her daughter. Her eyes fell to her daughter’s short, Prussian blue hair, which fell longer on one side than the other. Westa had taught her better, but the girl’s hair stuck up around her head as much as it was uneven. A gold, crescent hairpin hung above her daughter’s pointed left ear, ears unlike her own. The hairpin was something Westa had bought as a birthday present many years ago to match the gold pendant her daughter always wore.

“Don’t ‘what Mom,’ me, Rena. You’re not thinking of going to the Shingo Forest again, are you?”

Rena’s face scrunched. Although she fell silent, Westa knew all too well her child’s desire. And though seventeen and no longer a child, Westa could only see the girl she had raised when she stared into Rena’s sapphire eyes. Not knowing what else to do, she placed her hands on Rena’s shoulders and sighed. Perhaps she could point out Rena’s messy bedroom, or suggest that they make dinner together. Even a walk to the stream would be nicer than where Rena wanted to go. Westa couldn’t change her daughter’s mind most of the time, but with the recent dangers around Cross Continent, she feared for the safety of what little family she had left.

“Why don’t you take a break from there today?” Westa offered a wry smile. “You went there yesterday, and the day before that.”

Rena twitched under her grip and looked away. “But the Shingo Forest makes me feel so calm, Mom. Why can’t I go?”

Westa clamped her mouth shut, feeling Rena’s tug from under her fingertips. There were so many things she wanted to say, but the only thing that formed on her tongue was, “What _is_ it about that forest?”

“I—”

“Rena, it’s too dangerous. We just had an earthquake yesterday and monsters are roaming these parts. You know that things haven’t been right since the Sorcery Globe crashed, yet, you insist on making your poor mother worry. Can’t you stay inside the village today? Please?”

Rena freed herself from her mother’s hold, though Westa did little to stop her. She didn’t know how to. Rena’s mind appeared elsewhere these days, but Westa wasn’t sure what she would do if anything were to happen to her only daughter, now that Noa was gone and couldn’t look after them.

Rena sidestepped toward the cobblestone path, fingers interlocked behind her back. “Right. I’ll be going now.”

“Rena, please—”

“See you later, Mom.”

Westa reached out, but grabbed air. Rena hurried around the corner and disappeared, the flutter of her cape lingering for just a moment before disappearing. Though Westa felt the urgency to chase after her, Rena couldn’t be bought easily. Even if her mother had been able to bring her back, kicking and screaming, Rena would find a way to visit that damned forest.

She always did.

\/\/\/

“My mother is such a worrywart,” Rena said to herself and sighed. “Nothing could possibly be dangerous about this forest. I’ve been coming here for years.”

She skipped across the trail, kicking at loose brush and small sticks. Birds chirped overhead in the trees, and she hummed a nonsensical tune. The further along she went, the more distinct nature smelled. White flowers reminded her of her mom’s perfume, while dew on grass blades had a scent like the house plant in Mayor Regis’ home after Lila watered it. From above, the sun hid itself behind a canopy of leaves, though speckled rays of light peeked out through open patches.

“I think I’ll wander a little deeper into the forest today,” she suggested to herself, and that sounded like a good idea.

She stopped short at the sound of a sharp rustle from across the trail. Rena’s eyes darted to a moving bush, and she felt her hands curl into small fists. She kept still, the limbs and leaves rubbing against each other until a small head popped out. Peering closer, Rena recognized the long ears that stood on end and the pink, wriggling nose.

“It’s a bunny.” She laughed to herself. “Come here, bunny…”

The rabbit did not heed her call, but didn’t run away. Down on all fours, Rena crawled through the blades of long grass toward the animal, cooing and giggling. The rabbit jumped from its hiding place in the bushes and bounded away. Rena stopped moving, hand in midair.

“Awwww…” Her lips twisted and she watched it disappear behind a tree some feet away. She decided to follow and scrambled to her feet. She ignored the dirt stains on her hands and knees, and ran in the direction she had last seen the animal.

Rena didn’t have to go far before she caught sight of the pointed ears sticking out from behind a small stump. The grass cushioned the noise she made as she walked. Rena halted the moment the rabbit poked its head out from above the stump, one leg hovering in the air. She struggled to keep her balance without moving too much and frightening away the animal.

“You silly rabbit,” she said and held as still as a statue. “Come here, already.”

It hopped away again, and she lunged for it, but only clasped fistfuls of grass. She watched a fast paced ball of fluff disappear into the distance.

“I’ll get you,” she jokingly vowed, and pushed herself up to her feet before pursuing the animal again.

She momentarily realized that she had gone deeper in the forest than she was used to. The thought was brushed aside when she recognized two little legs squirming and pushing the rest of its plush, white body under another bush.

“Raaaaaaabbit…” she sang and slowly moved toward the bush. She hovered over it and reached up with both hands. Her fingers curled around the shrub, and she peered through the branches. “Now I…” with sudden force, she split the bush with her hands and threw herself forward, “…got you!”

A brown, furry face materialized inches from her own, and an unbearable stench wafted across her nose. Paralyzed, she couldn’t take in anything except for the stained, white fangs.

The monster’s growl rumbled from the back of its throat before lobbing an arm at her face. The force hurled her over the bush, and her head snapped against the ground before her body twisted and rolled away. Rena squeezed her eyes shut and tried to sustain the throbbing in her head. Her pointed ears twitched at a sharp snap, and her body vibrated as something heavy landed within proximity.

She forced her eyes open to see two hairy legs, the kneecaps bulging from thick thighs, and a torso like a tree trunk. Rena let a small gasp escape her lips when she saw the face in full regalia, the fangs larger now than they had appeared before.

The monster’s beady eyes beheld her, and a large tongue swept over its lips. Never before had she set eyes on such a creature, but she was positive that this would be the last time she saw anything else.

Rena used her hands and legs to flip onto her knees and crawl away. The monster pursued and swiped at her with claws bigger than her own house door.

She screamed and swiveled her body out of the monster’s reach. The back of her head hit a tree trunk and she cringed and held the wound. The ringing in her head buzzed louder as an array of colors flooded her vision. The tender spot on her head ached and pulsated between her fingertips.

The blurry figure of the monster snatched at her, and she found no strength to evade.

“Look out!” 

An arm locked around her waist. Rena realized that she was rolling, her body held close to something warm. She stopped on her back and opened her eyes to hazy vision. From above, she could make out tinted green clothing and a lithe frame that could be anything but a monster.

The figure released her and pulled away. Once she felt herself coherent, she looked over to whom had saved her, but the other body was already up and facing the monster.

It was a man not much older than she, she realized, with sun-kissed blonde hair that touched his shoulders and swayed with his agile movements. The clothes he wore were unfamiliar to anything she had ever seen, a black undershirt and white pants becoming the closest things she could recognize. She wanted to say something, but her voice failed her. The man dodged the monster’s claws; its fist crashed into the ground and created a hole twice the size of Rena’s head.

She backed away and whimpered, but stopped when the man grabbed a stick and lashed out at the monster. She could hear the rushing wind from the swing. The makeshift weapon collided with its knee and splintered into several pieces, a stump left in his hand.

“Dammit…” He jumped back and tossed the wood away.

The monster circled him, grunted, and balled its fists. It reared its arm back and thrust forward, but the man crouched and hopped to the side. Rena held herself still, unable to speak.

She watched the monster bound into the air, and the man sprung to the side. He pushed a hand into his pocket and withdrew something she had never seen before, and pointed it at the beast.

Before she could comprehend the object’s form, she was blinded by a burst of light. The man released a cry as sharp as the monster’s. Rena held her hands over her face, and prayed he was all right. She could feel the heat of the light against her body, and it burned her skin. Ignoring the sensation, she peered through the slits between her fingers at her savior.

The man stood still, holding the object in his outstretched hands. The force of the blast thrashed against his hair and clothes, but he remained upright and balanced. Rena’s attention turned toward the monster, whose body had deteriorated away in the staggering gust.

“The…Sword of Light…” she murmured.

The light vanished as quickly as it had come. The man dropped his arms, still clutching whatever it was in his hands. She could hear his heavy breaths, his chest heaving. For a moment, she thought he would collapse, but he gained some composure, and placed his Sword of Light back into his pocket on his belt, which looked like a boxy version of a sword sheath.

“Good thing…I made it…in time,” he sputtered. He stifled a cough and turned toward her, cheeks budded red. A bead of sweat trailed down the bridge of his nose and dripped from his face. His wobbly smile faltered.

But Rena’s attention was focused on what he had put into his boxy sheath. His clothes and the beam of light were not an unfamiliar concept to Rena, despite how strange they looked.

He advanced toward her, and she jumped with fright.

“Are you all right?” he asked, checking her over. He reached for her arm. “You’re not hurt, are you? In that case, can I ask you if you are—”

She screamed, swatted his hand away, and bolted out of the vicinity.

“Hey! _Wait!_ ” she heard him shout, but was moving too quickly in between trees and over bushes to stop.

She ran until she could almost see the boundary of Arlia, and passed by the stump where she had first pursued the bunny. Rena tripped and fell, but pushed herself to her feet and continued to the forest’s edge.

Her mind told her to stop.

As though it had been someone else telling her to do it, she obeyed. The man had saved her life—she knew that. She wouldn’t be alive to run away if he hadn’t come along.

Rena doubled over, her chest stinging. Gripping at her gold pendant, she closed her eyes and suppressed the urge to cough.

“Who…who does he think he is? Trying to grab me like that…” She couldn’t help herself, and had a short coughing fit. Rena wiped her lips with the back of her hand and mumbled, “He shouldn’t have…” Shifting her body so that she could see into the forest, Rena waited for any movement from within the woods, but saw none. “I hope he’s okay.”

Rena squared her shoulders and waited a minute longer. The guilt tugged at her mind and she wondered if he was wandering, lost and straying further from the path. Her breathing returned to normal, and her emotions stabilized. The more rational she became, the more remorseful she felt for having left him behind. Rena paced to spend time, but he never showed.

“I couldn’t have left him that far behind. I know I didn’t.” But she didn’t feel convinced.

After another minute of being left alone in the forest, Rena began to worry. She considered going to look for him, but found that her feet wouldn’t move.

“There’s only one way out of the forest,” she told a dead sapling. “If he wants to get to Arlia, then he has to come this way.”

Then, as if on cue, the blonde man stumbled around a bush, his puzzled eyes absorbing the vicinity. She stopped pacing long enough to see him, and raised her hand to wave. At first he didn’t notice her, so she called out to him.

Head whirling in her direction, he saw her and smiled.

“Hello?” he called out. 

“Hello,” she replied.

He smiled. “Fantastic, you can understand what I’m saying. I didn’t know what I was going to do if you spoke a different language.”

Rena blinked and raised her hand to her mouth to bite down on her finger. “Um…what?”

He rubbed the sweat from his face and laughed. “Ah, never mind me. I’m glad you waited. I wasn’t sure if you would.”

“I really wasn’t sure if I should or not, but you did save my life, after all. It would’ve been rude if I hadn’t waited.” Rena rubbed her elbow. “Sorry for running away like that…”

“Oh, no, don’t worry about it.” He laughed again, but didn’t disguise his discomfort. “Under all of that pressure, if I had been in your shoes, I probably would’ve done the same thing.”

Rena bowed her head and continued massaging her elbow. “Still, it was wrong. Please forgive me.”

The man combed a hand through his blonde locks. A red headband peaked out from under his bangs. “It _was_ pretty scary, wasn’t it?”

She didn’t share his humor.

Eyes downcast, Rena stopped rubbing her arm and gripped it tightly. She gave a nod barely noticeable, and said, “Y-Yeah. It was really scary. And…and I ran away from you…” Lifting her head up to meet his blue eyes, she blurted out, “I’m really, _really_ sorry.”

He held out his hands. “No, just forget about it. After all, you did wait for me, right? No harm done.”

She bit down on her lip. “I…My name is Rena—Rena Lanford. May I ask yours?”

The man fidgeted with his hands and sputtered, “Uh, yeah. I’m, uh, Claude. Claude C. Kenni, but Claude is just fine.”

Rena giggled. She reached out to take one of his hands, to which he flinched, and shook it. After a moment, he relaxed and accepted the handshake.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kenni,” she said. He inhaled at her touch, but didn’t pull back. After pumping his arm a couple of times, she released his hand and looked him over. “That reminds me. You wanted to ask me something before, right?”

“Oh.” He stalled. “That’s right. I did. Um, so…where are we?”

The question didn’t immediately register with Rena. She wasn’t sure how someone could not know where they were. Was this Claude an exception? But his strange clothes were a giveaway. If her hunch was correct, she was staring at more than just a savior, and she had been the one to find him. For the moment, however, she suppressed that hunch.

“We’re in the Shingo Forest, silly.” Then, spinning on one foot, she pointed to the forest entrance, “Beyond that point is Arlia Village.”

She expected him to understand, but when she turned to face him, he was just as confused as he had been the moment she met him.

“Shingo Forest?” he echoed. “Arlia Village?”

The ends of her mouth turned up in a wry smile. “Maybe I…should just show you…”

He stopped her. “And the planet? What’s the name of the planet?”

His odd questions made her eyebrows furrow. “You mean Expel?”

Claude’s blue eyes wandered skyward, as though expecting something to fall from the heavens. She followed his gaze, but saw nothing but trees and sun rays. 

Expel?” he asked in a soft voice. “I wonder which space quadrant that’s in.”

She decided to ignore his strange mumbling, and took his hand to lead him out of the forest. Soon enough, he fell in step with her, and she released him. They approached a bridge with a clear stream running beneath it. From out of the corner of her eye, she could see him looking around, mouth agape, and taking in all that he could.

She half expected him to question her about everything, as though he had never seen trees and birds, either, but he did nothing of the sort.

“So, Mr. Kenni…” she began, attempting to break the silence. “Are you a traveler?”

She thought that she had startled him from his thoughts from his sudden jolt, and his eyes fell on her. “Oh, yeah. I guess you could call it something like that.”

“Well,” she held her hands out in front of her skirt, and clasped one at the wrist, “where are you from?”

“Uh…” his gaze dropped. “I’m from earth.”

“Urth?” she mimicked his enunciation.

“ _Earth,_ ” he drug the word from his lips long and slow. “It’s a place…uh…how should I put this? It’s a place far away from here. Like…” he stretched his arms out to the side, “ _really_ far away from here.”

Her eyes lit up and she smiled. Another world, just like the Warrior. She had been right. He was the one.

“Wow, really?” She giggled. “That’s amazing.” She wondered if he would make mention of his reason for being there, the Sorcery Globe, and what he would do next.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and puffed out his cheeks. “It’s not that amazing, really.”

She cocked her head to one side, but ignored his remark. She thought that he would announce his intentions later, which was more than fine with her. Dancing onto the bridge, she turned and said, “Mr. Kenni, once we cross this bridge, we’ll be in the village of Arlia.”

He didn’t seem to share her enthusiasm and looked around as though another monster would appear and attack. “This is your village, right? Are you sure they won’t mind me barging in?”

His nervousness was making her nervous, but she forced a laugh and said, “Of course not. Besides, it’s the least I can do for you saving me.”

He did not try to hide his discomfort. He drew imaginary circles in the ground with his toe. “I didn’t do anything that special…”

Despite his attitude, she vowed to stay positive. Things would turn out, she knew it. In a bright voice, she said, “Yes, you did. Now, follow me.”

Rena gestured him forward, and walked toward the village. She listened to the rhythm of their soles clicking against the bridge, and continued into Arlia. When one pair of heels stopped, she turned to see what was wrong. He held still, his eyes focused on a stray leaf on the ground. His head slowly turned in a semi-circle.

Houses were tucked inside of lines of trees, and other buildings, like the church, were tall enough to break the sky, or so she thought. A waterwheel churned the river, and groups of people were working in the streets.

Rena reached out to touch his hand before continuing on. His steps were far slower than when they had first arrived. His eyes trailed a group of gregarious children, and he stretched his neck to follow as they darted past. The bells in the church echoed into the sky, and he jumped. Then he eased.

Rena watched him, unsure of what was going on in his head, but she was fidgeting, too. For the first time, she wondered what her mother would say when she barged in with a strange man in tow.

But it wasn’t just some strange man. It was _the_ strangest man to have ever filled Expellian legends.

She brushed the thought away. “Welcome to Arlia.” She bounded from him and pointed to a nearby sign.

He didn’t say anything as he walked ahead and stopped in front of a smaller bridge. A crystal stream circulated underneath, and he knelt down to stare into it.

“It’s so pretty,” he whispered and took off one of his green gloves. He swept his fingers through the water and let it trickle off of his skin. The droplets made soft plops and he smiled. “I’ve never seen anything this beautiful before.”

“Really?” Rena tilted her head. “Thank you.”

He craned his head toward the sky and said, “Yeah, honestly. I like this place.” She stared at him, an awkward moment creeping up on her, and she was glad that he couldn’t see it. She felt it best for the moment to let him do as he pleased. Even in the passing silence between them while he studied her village, Rena stood back and waited patiently.

She didn’t want to offend her savior, the Warrior of Light, by seeming rude or indignant. He was with her and no one else, in awe of her village. The Arlian girl knew he was exhausted from his journey, and that there would be plenty of time to discuss battle and the Sorcery Globe.

He stood and moved onto the bridge. He rubbed the rail, eyes focused on the grain in the wood. Rena found it amusing and had to stifle her laughter. From the way he held it, she could almost swear that he had never seen a bridge before. He was like a small child—or even a curious puppy, out of its kennel for the first time to experience the big world.

Puppy or not, he was cute—much cuter than she had anticipated the Warrior of Light to be.

He whirled on her, the biggest smile she had seen from him plastered across his face. “Say,” he began, “would you mind showing me around the village?”

She flinched and felt the heat hit her cheeks, but returned his smile and offered her undivided attention. Rena hoped that the coloring had vanished into her grin, but hurriedly said, “Of course.” Brushing past him, she extended an arm and pointed to the tallest building behind her. “This is Velding Church. We hold weddings and ceremonies here. The Father is a wonderful man. He is always concerned for us and tries to make our lives easier.”

“He does sound like a good man.” Claude followed her gaze and nodded.

“It looks like they’re finishing up a session right now,” she hinted at the ringing bells, “or else I’d take you inside.”

“That’s all right. We can come back later.”

She continued to show him around the village until sundown, taking note of every building and who was in it, and answering every question that he had. She was amazed that he had so many, and she grew weary after an hour or so, though she kept up with his curiosities as best as she could. More than anything, it puzzled her as to how he could not know about these things. They were a part of everyday life. Rena had never stopped to think about how these all affected her, much less explain them to another person.

Certain things amazed Rena, like how Claude had never heard of herbs. How he had survived so long without them was beyond her, but, then again, she didn’t imagine that the Warrior of Light would have any need of herbs.

They were stopped by Lucien, a young boy who was far too serious for his twelve years, at the edge of the village, whose suspicious eyes sized Claude up and down.

“Is he your new boyfriend?” he asked.

Her cheeks burned and Rena stepped in front of Claude. She leaned down in front of Lucien and said through gritted teeth, “No, he’s _not_ my boyfriend. He’s just a friend I’m showing around Arlia today.”

Lucien cocked a brow and scratched his scalp under perse colored hair. “Oh, okay. I was gonna say, don’t let Alen see, but he’s stopped visiting the village lately, hasn’t he? Why do you think that is?”

The question took Rena aback and she tapped a finger against her chin, thoughtful. Now that Lucien mentioned it, she couldn’t remember the last time she had seen Alen roaming around. It had to have been a month or more. She said, “You know, I’m not sure…”

“Uh, Rena?” A hand fell on her shoulder and she glanced over her shoulder. Claude looked puzzled. “Who’s Alen?”

She laughed, hoping that the Warrior wouldn’t get the wrong impression. “He’s a childhood friend of mine. He lives in Salva, just north of here. Although…” her eyes wandered, “…he hasn’t been by in some time, now that Lucien mentions it. I wonder why.”

Claude let his hand drop back to his side. “Oh.”

Rena motioned for him to follow her, but a recognizable flock of girls were waiting for them at the bottom of the hill. Rena felt a sudden surge of nausea well up inside of her. Lizeth, Araceli, Dulcy, and Nevaeh were slightly older girls, each from well-to-do families in Arlia. They meant no harm, though they meant more for themselves, especially being at appropriate ages when marriage became a topic of conversation.

Dulcy waved, red ringlets bobbing around her chiseled face. The freckles across her nose and cheeks seemed highlighted by her smile and wave. “Rena, darling! Who’s this new guy? I’ve never seen you walking around with a guy other than Dias and Alen before.”

“Yeah, is he your new boyfriend?” Lizeth’s green eyes sized Claude up and down, and she twirled a lock of auburn hair around her finger. If Rena didn’t know any better, she would have thought Lizeth would’ve sank her claws into him at any given moment.

Araceli, on the other hand, was known for her boldness. Squaring her shoulders so that her busty frame hung in Claude’s face, she smiled a perfect smile and said, “Well, if he’s not, don’t mind me snatching him up, all right? He’s so, _soooo_ cute, Rena.”

Rena’s face scrunched, and she seized Claude’s hand with her own. She marched around the girls while they grabbed him and examined his blonde hair and strange clothes. He laughed and they chatted about his masculinity, feeling him up all the while.

Rena tore him from their grasp.

“He is _not_ my boyfriend,” she protested. “And he doesn’t have time to be frolicking around with _you._ ” Yanking him from Nevaeh’s hand, she pushed him along down the road, despite his complaints and stumbling, Rena ground her teeth and ignored everything else except for what they had said before.

Boyfriend.

But it didn’t stop there. She passed by Adrian, the grocer, and complimented the happy couple. Dax and Deanna, two little kids she often hung out with, asked if her new boyfriend would be playing with them, too. And even Lila remarked on what a cute couple they made.

By the time Rena got home, she was furious.

Claude said, “Come on, Rena, don’t take it to heart. It’s not that big of a deal.”

But it _was_ a big deal if the gossip went around that she and the Warrior of Light were engaged in a real relationship. She thought she would die if that ever happened.

“This is my house,” she said. “Could you wait outside for a minute, Mr. Kenni?”

“Huh? Well, sure, but—”

She shut the door on him.

Falling back against it, she took the opportunity for a breather. Never had she been so irritated. Or was that flustered? No, _no!_ Never mind that. She couldn’t believe that the townsfolk could think that…Claude…The _Warrior…_ was her boyfriend.

“They don’t know what happened,” she mumbled. “They’re all such nosy people.” But she had to regain her composure.

Now was the time to announce to her mother whom she had discovered. If she appeared upset in any way, her mother would forget about what Rena had to say and begrudgingly tend to her bad mood. She might even send her to her room without supper. Forcing a stiff smile to her face, she stood and dusted off her clothes. She crept up the steps and looked around the corner. Her mother stood in the kitchen, finishing dishes, and Rena took a deep breath.

She dashed into the kitchen and grabbed her mother. “Mom! Mom!”

Balancing herself against her daughter’s weight, Rena’s mother set down the dish she had been drying, and tossed the rag aside.

“Rena, welcome back.” She reached out to hug her daughter. “I was worried, you know. You’ve been gone for most of the day.”

The girl pulled back and held Westa by the shoulders like her mother would often do when scolding her. She gave a grave look that took Westa by surprise and the rest of her laughter was swallowed back into her throat.

“This is _really_ serious, Mom,” Rena said and kept her face as impassive as possible. “Something big has happened.”

Westa lifted an eyebrow. “Really? Just what in Tria’s name has you so worked up, girl?”

Rena’s expression did not change. She gently shook her mother’s shoulders. “You’ve got to believe me, Mom. It’s finally happened.”

Westa took her daughter’s hands, but did not remove them from her shoulders. She looked terribly frightened, now. “What’s happened, Rena?”

Rena couldn’t hold it in any longer. A smile cracked at her lips and she nodded toward the door. In a low voice, she said, “He’s here—right outside our door.”

Her mother’s eyebrows pushed together, creating a crease right in between her eyes and on the bridge of her nose. “Honey, who? Who has arrived?”

She shook her mother and hissed, “The _Warrior,_ of course.”

Rena’s mother could only manage a, “What?” for the first moment until she fully comprehended what her daughter had said.

Rena was incredibly worked up by now. “The _Warrior._ The Warrior of Light, Mom. The one from the legends. He’s finally come to save us.”

But Westa pulled away and took a couple steps back, lips pressed into a thin line. Rena recognized her look of disbelief all too well. Her mother said, “Rena…listen to me, Honey. Are you _sure_ about what you’re saying?”

Rena sighed louder than she had planned, but her impatience chipped through her excitement. She wanted to introduce Claude to her mother as soon as possible. “Yes, Mom, he’s wearing foreign clothes, and he says that he’s from another world. Oh, and he has the Sword of Light.”

“T…The Sword of Light…?”

Rena leaned forward to take her mother’s hand, “Yes, yes. He used it to save me in the Shingo Forest, Mom. I’m _telling_ you, it’s the Sword of Light.”

“Saved you?” Westa’s eyes lit up with fear. She cracked out, “What kind of trouble did you get into in that forest? See, this is why I’ve told you countless times not to go there—”

Rena stamped her foot and exclaimed, “ _Mother._ ” Westa paused long enough to stare her daughter in the eyes. “The Warrior of Light is _here._ Do you know what that means?”

Her mother looked uncomfortable. “So, where is he now, Rena?”

“He’s right outside. I’ll go and get—” Rena turned and halted in mid-sentence, Claude’s presence taking her by surprise. She jumped back and gasped, causing the man to take a step away from her. He cautiously brought up a hand to the back of his neck.

“E-Excuse me, Rena. I didn’t mean to barge in. It’s just…you’ve been gone for quite a long time, and after you slammed the door in my face…”

“You did _what,_ Rena?” Westa glared at her daughter.

Rena kept her eyes away from her mother and on Claude instead. “I…I’m sorry about that, Mr. Kenni…But could you wait for me outside just a little bit longer?”

He had the right idea in asking if something was the matter, but her pleading face seemed to make him think twice.

Claude slowly nodded and his eyes pinballed around her living room. “All right. Do you mind if I have a look around in that case?”

She waved him away with a laugh she hoped he wouldn’t notice was forced. “Oh, no, go right ahead, Mr. Kenni. I’ll come get you when I’m done here.”

He nodded again and started for the door. “All right, I’ll see you later, then.”

She waited until after he left before dropping her head. 

“He surprised me,” she said a moment later. “I hope he didn’t hear what we were talking about. Everyone’s been so nosy and persistent since I brought him in, the last thing I want is for them to scare him off, especially right after we found him. I mean, you should’ve seen Dulcy and the girls. And even Adrian. I thought Lucien was going to throw rocks at him—”

When she glanced up, Rena stiffened at the sight of her mother advancing forward, eyes wide and face pale. 

She was just about to ask if her mother was okay, when Westa cut in, “Was that him?”

“Huh?” She blinked. “Oh, yeah, that was him.”

Westa picked up the ends of her dress and stopped in front of Rena only a couple of inches away. In hushed tones, she asked, “Are you _sure_ we should just leave him out there by himself? If what you say is true, then he has no idea where he’s at.”

It took Rena a moment to realize her insensitivity. “I…I think he’ll be okay…” but she trailed off, her mother’s stern face making her swallow the rest of her words.

“I think it would be best if you asked him to come inside, Rena. Go out and get him.”

Rena blew air into her cheeks and replied, “Yes, Mother.”

“I’ve got things to do.” Her mom moved back in the kitchen. “Take your time, okay? Go show him around the village.”

“But I already showed him around the village.”

“Don’t talk back, Rena.”

Westa didn’t seem to be paying attention any longer, and Rena spun to face the door. A whirlwind of thoughts cycled through her head, like the Sorcery Globe and how it stood no chance now that the Warrior of Light had arrived. Rena would be remembered as the one who guided him on his journey and helped save Expel.

“Rena, are you still here?” her mother’s voice entered her thoughts. Westa wagged a wooden ladle at her. “Go and get him already.”

Snapping back to reality, Rena grabbed the door handle. “Yes, Mom,” but she stopped halfway, as the most important thought crossed her mind. “You…actually believed me.”

She was surprised that her mother could hear her, and from behind, Westa said, “Why wouldn’t I believe you, Rena? You’ve never given me a reason to doubt you. And besides, you’re my daughter. I love you.”

A smile cracked at the girl’s face and she raced into the kitchen. Throwing her arms around Westa’s unsuspecting form, she nuzzled her cheek into her dress and cried out, “Thank you, Mom.” 

And, as quickly as it had come, Rena released the woman and escaped through the door while shouting that she would be back home shortly.

\/\/\/

“Where is he?” Rena looked from side to side like a clock pendulum. “I hope he didn’t wander out of the village. I feel so bad now. If I can’t find him, Mom won’t be happy either.”

The only clues she had to go by were what the townsfolk told her.

“Oh, your boyfriend? You just missed him. He was asking lots of questions, like about ‘masheeens,’ or something like that…” 

“Rena, about that man you were with…Well, he _was_ here just a moment ago.”

“You mean that boy? He had some lump of metal in his hands and was waving it around. I had no idea what it was, though.”

Wherever Claude was now, he was leaving behind a trail of crumbs, and had certainly garnered everyone’s attention. That left Rena in a slightly better state of mind, but it wouldn’t be any better until she found him.

She made it to the western end of town, jogging up and down behind houses, asking questions, but those who had seen him weren’t sure where he had gotten to. She went from door to door and then to the town square to find Dulcy and the girls. Rena wondered if they had found Claude and snatched him in from off the street, but even they were of no help.

“He’s a real cutie, Rena,” Araceli winked at her. “You sure he isn’t your boyfriend?”

“I’m _sure,_ ” Rena flared and rubbed her thumb and fingers together.

Laughing, Dulcy placed a hand on Rena’s shoulder. “Easy, easy, we’re just asking. Seriously though, if he’s not your boyfriend, then what are you doing with him? I haven’t seen you with another guy since Alen came to town and Dias before that. But I haven’t seen either of them, lately.” Flashing a pearly white smile, Dulcy asked, “Did you break their hearts?”

“Did I what? No! And besides, Mr. Kenni is new into town.” Rena rubbed her fingers together faster. “I’m just showing him around town.”

“ _Just_ showing him around, huh?” Nevaeh shrugged. “Well, if you say so.” The girls turned to leave, but Nevaeh said over her shoulder, “You know, he took a real interest in Velding. Maybe he went in there.”

“The church?” Rena blinked several times, and turned to stare at the bell tower.

Araceli waved. “Good luck, Rena. Hope you find your boyfriend.”

She shouted after the retreating girls, “For the last time, he is _not_ my boyfriend!”

She earned the stares of those in the vicinity, but Rena didn’t care. She pivoted on one foot and stomped off. The nerve of some people.

Her storming transitioned into a walk, which slowly progressed into a run. When she reached the other end of town, she found the church to be abandoned and silent, quite uncommon for the after-service hour. However, the door was ajar, which was stranger than its unusual silence, and she reached out for the handle. Rena pulled it back and stepped inside, the darkness embracing her.

She couldn’t see very well, and stumbled around until her hand grasped the back of one of the long pews lining the hallway. Using it as a crutch to guide her, she proceeded forward. A dim light from the front caught her attention. An assortment of colors passed through the light, and the floor glittered behind the podium. Standing before the stained glass window was Claude.

Despite her clumsiness, he had not heard her come in. His attention was focused on the figure etched into the window, the outline of a man with golden hair and strange clothes holding a sword up to the sky. Tremendous rays of light escaped from its tip, and his red cape flowed elegantly behind him. She watched Claude reach up toward the window, although it was far too high for him to touch the glass.

Rena felt relief wash through her body as he studied the picture. She hoped that he would be pleased at their depiction of him as the Warrior of Light. The motif was older than Regis, as was the legend of the Warrior. Rena wondered who was considered holier: the Warrior or Tria. But Tria had never revealed themselves to the people like the Warrior had.

She walked closer. Her knee slapped the side of a pew, and she yelped. Her hands reached down to comfort it. Claude called out her name and she could hear footsteps coming toward her.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I just bumped into this,” she patted the wood backing of the pew with one hand and used the other to rub her tingling knee.

“Be more careful,” he told her and waited for her to stand. “I have a question.”

“What is it?” she asked.

“That man in the window…” she gazed up at Claude, but his attention turned to the stained glass picture. He pointed at it, “Who _is_ that?”

“Uh…” She wasn’t sure how he’d take to her explanation of him, but hoped he would be flattered. Playing coy, she said, “That’s the Warrior of Light.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “The Warrior of Light?”

Rena paused, wondering if he was playing dumb for a specific reason.  

She nodded. “Yes, the Warrior of Light. It’s an ancient legend passed down for hundreds and hundreds of years.” She clasped her hands together and faced the mural before citing the words she had committed to heart, “When the people of this land called Expel suffer at the hands of a terrible evil, a Warrior in a strange costume from another world shall arrive and banish this wickedness with his Sword of Light.”

“Really…?” She wasn’t sure if he was listening to her or not. The picture had him mesmerized. Even before he had known she was there, it was all he could look at. “A Warrior, huh? Do you believe that, Rena?”

His question brought a smile to her face, and the thought of the man who stood before her now. It came to her as a sense of ease, and she thought about how the Sorcery Globe would soon vanish from their land. She could hardly wait.

“I do,” she said with a nod. “Very much so.”

“I see…” He looked at her and shared her smile. Then Claude closed his eyes. “I envy you,” he whispered, almost too low for her to hear.

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing. So, since you’re here, does that mean that you’re finished with whatever you had to do?”

A flush crossed her face, and she hoped that he couldn’t see it in the church’s poor light. “Uh, yeah. Mom says she wants you to come to the house now.”

“Is she all right with that?”

Rena bent down to rub her injured knee again. A bump had formed. “Oh, I’m positive that she’s okay with it. She wants to thank you for saving my life.”

She heard him exhale through his nose, and he said, “It…It’s okay, you know. I didn’t do anything that special…”

“You keep saying that, but please, Mr. Kenni…” She bowed. “Allow me to express my gratitude. Come to the house with me.”

Taking him by the arm, she led him from the church, thanking the darkness that surrounded them that he couldn’t see the grin tearing her face into two. She imagined that evening, the celebration over the Warrior’s coming, and how eventual peace would hover like an umbrella over Expel.

\/\/\/

That's reworked chapter one. I'll try to update chapters every few days to get the story back on track. Hope you liked it :)

~ML


	2. The Warrior of Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moment comes when Claude is confronted about his identity as the Warrior of Light, but Rena isn't prepared for the unexpected truth that comes with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I still don't own Star Ocean.
> 
> Not much to say now, as the story has still only really just started. Hope you enjoy!

**\/\/\/**

**An Ocean of Mirrors**

**Chapter Two**

**The Warrior of Light**

**\/\/\/**

It was after nightfall by the time that Claude and Rena stepped through her door. He had many questions and she enjoyed answering them, but once the two suns disappeared behind the mountains, it was time to think about dinner.

Rena knocked on the open door as to not scare her mother and called out, “Mom, I’m back.”

Westa stepped out from the kitchen, mitts on her hands, and saw them in the doorway.

“Rena.” She smiled and nodded to the kitchen. “I’m just about finished here. Could you give me a hand?” Her gaze fell on Claude.

He waved and said, “Hello.”

“Hello, again,” Westa said.

Rena left his side to join her mother. Her eyes darted to the dining room table which had been blanketed by an abnormal pile of filled dishes. The aroma caused her to salivate, but she kept herself focused. Claude seemed to have seen the enormous array of food because he gurgled and turned to Westa.

“ _Mom,_ ” Rena hissed and gestured to the table.

Westa laughed, but Rena knew her fake laughs, and disappeared into the kitchen. She emerged a moment later and said, “Did I overdo it?” Two sizzling plates occupied each hand, and she deposited them onto the table in the last empty space that Rena could see. “It looks delicious though, right? All of my best recipes are out there. I even made your favorite dish, Rena.”

“ _Moooooom…_ ” Rena held her head in her hands and sighed.

Claude rubbed his arm and kept himself at the corner of the table. His eyes were on the filet mignon, or the risotto—Rena couldn’t tell which.

Westa returned to the kitchen, and said over her shoulder, “What is it? Don’t be so rude. I just want to thank…Mr. Kenni, wasn’t it?” He nodded. “I just wanted to thank Mr. Kenni with a nice meal.”

Looking up again at the abundance of food, Rena said, “I…I understand, but…but don’t you think that it’s a little much?” Her voice trailed off at the sight of strawberry shortcake, her absolute favorite. She wished it didn’t taunt her so. She was trying to make a point to her mother, but the drizzled sauce dripped down the side of the cake like molasses, and Rena stifled a groan. She peeked her head into the kitchen.

“Is it?” Her mother reached into the oven to pull out a pan larger than the two plates from before. Instead of bottling up the groan this time, she released it outwardly and tugged at her hair. Her mother continued, “Besides, he’s a growing boy, so I’m sure he’ll be able to eat a lot.” 

“You’re going to make him _fat,_ ” Rena argued.

Westa brushed past her with the pan in her hands. “Nonsense.” She placed the pan on the table and looked to Claude. “You _are_ hungry, aren’t you, Mr. Kenni?”

Rena’s eyes fell on him. No longer did he appear awkward and reserved. His mouth hung open and saliva pooled in the corner of his mouth. His attention fixated on the pan she placed on the table. Since there wasn’t any more open space, Westa set it on top of the bowl of rolls. Rena wondered if he had heard her mother at all.

“Oh, yeah,” he said automatically. “Definitely.”

Rena wagged a finger at him. “Stop egging her on.”

“See, Rena?” Westa situated the plates and pans around the table to create more room. “A _real_ man could put this all away without any problems.” She patted his shoulder and returned to the kitchen. “So eat as much as you’d like, okay?”

Claude didn’t even flinch. Rena raked her fingers through her hair, and helped herself to a chair. 

When he appeared to have regained himself, he took the chair next to Rena and said, “Thanks…uh…”

Her mother came through the open doorway and tugged the mitts from her hands. “Just call me, ‘Westa.’”

“Thanks, Westa. I’m Claude, by the way. Claude C. Kenni.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Claude,” she replied and bowed.

“Geez…” Rena grabbed her plate and utensils.

Claude shoveled food onto his plate and made quick sweeping motions with his spoon. He harpooned the chicken, took four helpings of soup, piled the gravy on top of everything, and munched on a bread stick as he did so. Her mother appeared pleased, and Rena wondered how long it had been since Claude had last eaten. Perhaps they didn’t feed him from where he came from. Watching him eat made Rena full, and she ate very little.

\/\/\/

An hour passed since dinner, and Claude hunched over the couch, groaning and clutching his stomach. Rena offered to prepare the guest room, and she helped him up the stairs afterward. He collapsed onto the bed beside the window, and she shut the door behind them.

He moaned and rolled over, the springs squeaking under his weight. “Ohhhhhh…” He burped and sighed. “Thank you so much for the meal, but…man…I think I ate too much…”

“You didn’t have to eat it all,” Rena scolded, but couldn’t stop the smile from spreading over her face. “Even if it was to impress my mother, she’d have gotten over it if you hadn’t forced yourself to have seconds of everything.”

“You don’t have to worry about me.” He flipped onto his back and she sat down on the bed next to him. He knocked on his belly and said, “I’ve got a cast-iron stomach.”

“But she made so much. It might wear down that cast-iron stomach of yours.”

“Nah, it’ll take more than that.” He glanced up at the ceiling and sighed again. “It was really good, though. I don’t think my mom could ever pull off something like that.”

She giggled and stared down at him. It was strange to think of the Warrior having a mother. It wasn’t a concept she had considered before. “Thanks for saying so. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

Rena’s eyes wandered to the water-streaked windowpane, and a flash cut through the sky.

“Oh, it’s raining, huh?” she heard him say. “I didn’t even hear it start.”

When the day began, the last thought on her mind was that she would be bringing home humanity’s savior. But he was here, with her, listening to the rain, and talking with her like a normal person. Rena turned her eyes to him. He caught her gaze and stared back.

She studied the way his blonde bangs playfully hung in his eyes, lapping over the red headband that served no real purpose for being there. His blue eyes twinkled, but held something else inside of them, like the determination she had seen when they were in the forest. He was exactly how she had imagined him to be.

“Rena…?” he whispered her name. It sounded so good to hear it come from him.

“You’re finally here,” she said and leaned toward him. “I’ve been waiting for you…for a long time.”

His head moved deeper into the pillow and he exhaled. She reached out to touch his face, though wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was to be sure that the moment was real. That he was really here and that it wasn’t a dream.

But when he caught her hand with one of his own, she pulled back. Claude remained still, holding her hand. He didn’t say anything, but kept his attention on her. 

“Ah…” She closed her eyes. “I…I’m sorry to have said such silly things.” She twisted her hand from his grasp, and he let his fingers dangle in midair. Jumping off the bed, she said, “Get some rest, okay? I’m going to go and help my mother clean up.”

Before another word could be exchanged, she threw herself out the door and down the stairs. She jumped down the last two steps just as her mother finished clearing the table. Obviously in time to be of no help, Rena fell back onto the steps, her bottom hitting the runner rug that ran from the bottom to the top. Westa stopped midway, dirty pans in her hands, to send a glance her daughter’s way.

“How is he, Rena?”

“H-He’s fine,” she stammered, and looked away. “He’s resting now.”

Her mother offered her profile, serious eyes beholding the wall behind the table. “That’s good. In any case, I think it would be the right time to tell Regis about this. Be careful though. It’s dark and raining.”

“Oh, I’ll be fine, Mom,” Rena reached over to the hat rack and withdrew an umbrella. “It’s just across the way.”

“Don’t get struck by lightning.”

“Mom…” She rolled her eyes. Rena left and jogged over to the mayor’s house, which usually took five minutes or so if she moved quickly.

She inhaled the cold air into her chest and her body shook. She scolded herself for acting so foolishly in front of Claude and found herself tempted to glance up at the window that led to the guest room on her way out, but was too cowardly to carry out the act, as though he would be looking when she did.

She cleared her throat and composed herself. She had to look decent for the mayor. If she went over with a beet red face and trembling body, he’d think she was in trouble. 

The soggy grass squished under her boots, water squirting up from all sides. Her favorite part of the rain was stepping in all of the puddles in the surrounding area. But she reminded herself to be mature. The discussion with Regis was more important.

Droplets of rain pounded against the roof of her umbrella. A chill passed against her from the oncoming wind and she drew up her shoulders. Fingers numb, she continued forward, and spotted a low glow of light coming from the inside of the mayor’s window.

She rapped her knuckles against the wooden door and stepped back to wait. After a moment, the door creaked open and a wizened face appeared, nose wriggling. His shaggy beard flowed, untamed, over his chest and thick eyebrows curled at the ends. He didn’t have as many lifelines and crow’s feet as other older folk. The long hair served justice to age him; no one would’ve guessed he was sixty-five years young. His body hadn’t given up—only slowed—and it seemed more comfortable to rely on his cane, which he clasped the top of in his right hand, than forego it. Of course, this had only come to be within the last seven years. 

“Mayor,” she reached out to clasp the doorknob.

His brows pushed together and he looked her up and down. “Is that you, Rena? What in the world are you doing out in the rain?” She released the knob and he opened the door to beckon her inside, “Come, come, now. You’ll catch cold.”

She shook her head and took the arm that held the cane. “You must come to my house, sir. There’s no time to waste.”

He resisted. “Young lady, may I ask what’s got you so worked up that you can’t even come in from the rain?”

 “The Warrior.” A smile broke on her face and she clutched the umbrella tightly in her hand. “He’s finally appeared.”

Regis stiffened and she released him. “W-What? Is this true, Rena?”

“Yes, yes. He’s wearing clothes like I’ve never seen before, and he’s got the Sword of Light, and everything.”

The mayor, whose energy heightened as she spoke, leaned forward to stare across the way at her home, though she doubted he could see much. “The Sword of Light?”

She nodded, unable to keep herself from becoming frantic. She took him by the arm again. “There’s no doubt about it, Mayor. He’s the one—The one from the legend.”

Regis turned from her, though he did not pull out of her grasp. He looked into his living room and rubbed his long, white beard with his free hand.

“I can’t believe this…” Then, with a sudden jolt, he glanced back to her. “Rena, where did you find him?”

“In the Shingo Forest. While I was there, I was attacked by a monster and he saved me with his Sword of Light. Right now, he’s resting in my house, so he’s not going anywhere for the moment.” He said nothing, which prompted worry from the girl. He tapped his fingers against his cane and his eyes fell. Her hand dropped from his arm and she continued in a quiet voice, “Please believe me. I’m not lying about this. He also said that he’s a traveler on a journey, but he has no idea where he is. He even said that he was from somewhere far away. Somewhere called ‘Urth,’ I think.”

Regis perked. “Urth?”

“Yes. It’s more than a coincidence, don’t you think?”

He paused, and she could almost see the gears work themselves in his mind. After a moment, he said, “It’s definitely worth looking into. And I know that you’re not the type to make up stories. You say you can communicate with him?”

“Yes, he speaks the common tongue.”

“Most interesting.” He reached around the back of the door to grab an umbrella, and flicked it open. “All right, let’s get to the bottom of this, shall we? We’ll see what he has to say.”

“Great,” Rena said and stepped aside to let him pass.

Regis closed his door and followed her home. The time it took getting back was much shorter and she was surprised he could keep up with his bad knees. She ran ahead to get the door for him, and he entered the house with her behind him.

“Mom, I’m back.” But her mother paced at the door, her face pale and filled with horror.

“Oh, no, no, no, no…” Westa mumbled over and over.

Rena dropped the wet umbrella at the door and reached out to take her mother’s hands. “What’s wrong, Mom? Why are you panicking all of a sudden?” Then a terrible thought occurred to her, “Nothing’s wrong with Mr. Kenni, right?”

Westa jerked away and buried her head in her hands. Rena moved toward her mother, but the older woman rushed in front of a chair next to the table. She reluctantly looked to the stairs.

“No.” She exhaled. “He’s fine. It’s just that I…”

“Calm down,” Rena instructed firmly. “What happened?”

Then, with a big groan, Westa collapsed into the chair, “I said it.”

“Said what?” Rena asked with more impatience than she had intended.

“I said the _W-word…_ ” she hissed.

“ _What?_ ” Rena felt a sharp pain feed through her chest. “You _told_ him?”

“I’m sorry. I’m really, _really_ sorry.”

“Never mind that, Westa,” Regis intervened and moved closer to her. “So, what did he say?”

“Well…” She bit her lip and glanced back to the stairs. “I don’t think he understood anything.”

Regis came up from behind and gently guided Rena into a chair. She and Westa gave him their attention and he spoke, “Please be calm. I’m sure he’s just as nervous as we are, but we can’t make him feel uncomfortable about any of this.”

“What’s going on?”

Rena’s eyes directed to the staircase where a confused Claude stood, gripping the rail with one hand. Westa buried her face into her hands, and Rena inhaled. The mayor approached him, and offered a hand.

“You must be Claude. I’m honored to make your acquaintance. My name is Regis, the Mayor of Arlia.”

He seemed wary at first, observing Regis from top to bottom, but shook his hand. “It’s good to meet you, Mayor. But…” he stepped back and shoved his hands into his pockets, “…may I ask what’s going on? Am I in some sort of trouble?” He stared directly at Rena when asking.

Regis’ thick, white brows lifted and he said, “Oh, no, no, no, young man, not at all. Please, have a seat and I’ll explain everything.”

Seeming unsure of whether or not to comply, Claude slowly made his way to the table, and took the chair next to Rena. Westa removed herself from her own chair and offered it to Regis. He took it without question.

Setting his cane next to his chair, Regis began, “First of all, Mr. Kenni, allow me to express my dearest gratitude for saving Rena’s life in the Shingo Forest today.”

“Oh, it’s all right.” Claude offered a smile, but it wasn’t his usual, heartfelt one, as Rena had become accustomed to.

Her hands were slick with sweat, and she found that she couldn’t look at either of them for long. She chewed on her lip and wondered if she had upset Claude.

The mayor continued, “Speaking along that fact, Rena has told me that you are a traveler, currently on a quest.”

Claude shot Rena a look she wasn’t sure she liked. He appeared ready to say something, but returned his gaze to the mayor and said, “Well, I don’t think it quite adheres to the word, ‘quest,’ but, yes, I’m currently traveling.”

“In any case, where might your destination be? The Kingdom of Cross? The continent of Lacour, or…”

“Where?” Claude slowly shook his head. “I haven’t heard of any of those places.”

“Is that right?” Regis mused, “Not only do you _not_ know where you are, but your destination is also unknown…”

Claude’s tone became slightly different, one that Rena hadn’t heard him use before, “What are you trying to _say,_ Mayor?”

Regis cleared his throat, nodded at Westa, and squared himself in the chair. He accepted a long pause and said, “Mr. Kenni, please pardon my rudeness, but I believe that you are, in fact, lying to us.”

“Huh?” his eyes widened. From the expression on his face, Rena didn’t believe he had understood what the mayor meant. His fist clenched.

Regis held out his hand. “Wouldn’t you agree? You’re no mere traveler, as you have been implying.”

“Is that right?” Claude’s hand opened and clenched again. “If I’m not a traveler, then what would you say that I am?”

It was obvious that his tone was hot, and Rena wondered why Claude refused to admit the truth about who he really was. Regis must’ve sensed his anger, too, because he stood from his chair, his shadow lingering over Claude.

He stretched his arms to each side and announced, “You are a warrior from another world, hidden under the guise of an ordinary traveler, of course. Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Kenni, that _you_ are the Warrior of Light sent here to complete the prophecy and save our world?” From the astonished look on Claude’s face, Regis added, “Am I wrong?”

Claude said nothing. He sputtered something, but it didn’t quite register in Rena’s ears. He coughed, took a deep breath, exhaled, and inhaled again.

A pregnant pause went by before his quiet voice managed, “Mayor, what could possibly possess you to think that I’m some kind of…‘warrior’ from another world?” Then he shot a glare at Rena. “This ‘warrior’ is the same as the one you told me about in the church today, isn’t it?”

She nodded slowly, but couldn’t find the words to say. She couldn’t admit that she enjoyed his narrowed eyes and deep frown. Didn’t he already know what they were referring to? Why did he look so angry at her?

Regis scratched the skin behind his beard. “It appears that you are not yet convinced that we understand who you are. Then, allow me to share with you the legend of the Warrior. In our history, it has been prophesied that when the world of Expel is faced with impending doom, a Warrior of Light will appear in foreign clothes from a different world. With his Sword of Light, he will save us from that prophesied terror.”

“I…” but Claude’s voice trailed off.

“The clothes you wear are nothing like anything we’ve ever seen, and you carry the Sword of Light with you. On top of that, for being a foreign traveler, you are able to speak the Expellian tongue quite fluently. Is this proof enough for you, Warrior?”

The color drained from Claude’s face and he looked like he was shaking in his seat. “W-Warrior? What are you…And…a Sword of Light? I don’t have a Sword of Light.”

Feeling the need to interfere, Rena said, “Of course you do. Remember that blinding ray of light you saved me with?”

“Huh?” Then it seemed to have dawned on him what she was talking about. Withdrawing something from his boxy sheath, he set it on the table with a large _clank_ for everyone to see. “Are you talking about my phase gun?”

Rena and the mayor leaned forward to stare at the metal piece, but she was unfamiliar with it, as, she was sure, was Regis. She found herself intrigued by the weapon and Rena wondered how a tiny thing could hold so much power. She had the urge to touch it, but doubted Claude would like that very much. Although he said it was nothing, to her, it was the Sword of Light.

“That’s it…” Rena whispered.

“No, no.” Clearly irritated, Claude put a hand over the gun. “It’s not a Sword of Light. It emits light, yes, but it’s just a dinky little weapon given to me by my father.”

“Might I see it, Mr. Kenni?” Regis asked.

For a moment, Rena thought he would say no, but Claude wordlessly slid it across the table to him.

With a sigh, Westa suggested, “Maybe he really isn’t the one.”

“No.” Rena jumped, her chair screeching back. All eyes were on her, but she devoted her attention to Claude. “You’ve got to be the one.”

Observing the metal piece in his hands, Regis let out a large, “Hmmm,” and said, “But, this thing…”

Claude nodded and closed his eyes. “I understand what you’re thinking, but that thing in your hands is a weapon that my father gave me. It’s not the Sword of Light, even though, yeah, like I said, it releases a large amount of energy. But that certainly doesn’t make me the ‘Warrior of Light.’ I’ll admit that it’s strange that we can understand each other; I don’t know what I would’ve done otherwise, but that really doesn’t mean anything. I’m sorry, but there’s got to be some kind of mistake.”

Tears were brimming at Rena’s eyes, “How can you say that?”

Claude refocused his attention on her, and all words seemed to die on his tongue when he saw the tear roll down her cheek.

“Rena…” Westa began.

“No,” she cried. “He _is_ the one.”

“No, I’m not,” Claude said. He averted his eyes and stared at the tablecloth. “I’m not any kind of ‘warrior.’ I don’t even know what’s going on here. How can you expect me to save everyone?”

A sharp pain stabbed in her chest. It became clear now. 

Claude wasn’t lying.

Rena whispered, “You…really don’t know? You don’t know anything about the Sorcery Globe, or…or the cataclysms taking place?” The pain throbbed even more when she saw him shake his head.

“We’re not just talking about the events that are going on in Arlia, Mr. Kenni,” Regis said, setting Claude’s weapon on the table. “We’re talking about the events that have been taking place in the entire world.” Claude said nothing and the mayor sighed. “I see. So you really don’t know what’s going on. Allow me to explain.” Regis leaned into his chair and Rena retook her seat and wiped her eyes. “It began three months ago. In another land, Continent El, something crashed down within the town of Eluria. At first, it was regarded as a rare and celestial event, but it wasn’t long before a cataclysm took place. Monsters appeared and created havoc for everyone on El. 

“Nothing like this had ever happened before—not until that meteor landed, which is why we can safely link the two events together.” Regis removed himself from his chair and paced the living room. “Animals have turned into monsters which prey upon us. Towns across the world have been wiped out, and even on the far reaches here, in Arlia, earthquakes happen almost every single day. That stone is created from pure evil, and is the source of all this chaos. It began to be known as the ‘Sorcery Globe.’ But, as luck would have it, not only did that meteor appear from thin air, but you did too, Mr. Kenni.

“If that stone is what’s responsible for all of our misery and chaos, it’s only natural that we’d think you to be the one who cuts down all of that evil and save us.”

A hand slammed down on the table, causing it to shake and resound throughout the room. Regis clamped his mouth shut.

“I’ve already said this. I’m _not_ a warrior. I can’t _save_ your world. I…” he trailed off once he saw Rena’s tear-stained face. She couldn’t stop herself once she started. Her dream of Claude being the Warrior of Light crashed down harder than if the Warrior had never come at all. She said nothing, but couldn’t remove her eyes from his. His never left hers, either.

“Cataclysms are taking place all over the world,” Regis continued softly. Rena wondered if Claude was even listening anymore. “Cities and villages are being wiped out of existence by these monsters. If this continues…it won’t be long until the village of Arlia ends up like Eluria.”

Claude’s eyes burned into Rena’s, and he mumbled as though solitarily to her, “I’m sorry…but I’m not your Warrior of Light.”

Regis sighed and returned to the table. “If that’s the case, then tell me, Mr. Kenni, where did you come from? And…where are you going?”

Claude shook his head and took the lump of metal from the table. He examined it closely. “I…Look, I don’t know how to explain it. And even if I could explain it, it’s not like you could understand. I’m here because of an accident and not because I want to be here. All I want to do is go home, okay?”

It wasn’t okay, Rena found. It wasn’t okay at all. 

Regis tugged on his beard and took his chair. “…I understand, Mr. Kenni. You have your reasons, but you must see it from our side, too. We must know what’s going on so that we can try and make sense of it all.”

With an exhausted sigh, Claude said, “Forgive me…but that’s all I can tell you.”

“Very well…” and then it was done. The mayor was done, Westa was done, and Claude looked even more than done with the conversation. Everyone appeared convinced that Claude wasn’t the legendary Warrior of Light.

It just wasn’t fair.

“Mayor…” Westa said, but didn’t pursue any words to follow.

“If that’s what you say, Mr. Kenni, then we have no choice but to believe you. We must accept that you are… _not_ the Warrior of Light after all.”

Using a sleeve to wipe her tears away, Rena whispered, “How can this be?”

“I’m sorry,” Claude said and turned his weapon over and over again in his hands. “I know that this must hurt you all. I’m really sorry for letting you guys down.”

Regis shook his head. “Don’t blame yourself. You couldn’t have let us down for something that you didn’t know about. It’s our own fault for forcing you to be someone you never were.”

“Please forgive us.” Westa bowed her head.

Even her own mother had accepted it. Everyone truly believed that he was not the Warrior of Light.

The silent tears fell freely down her face, but Rena did not bother to brush them away. Removing herself from the chair, she squeezed around the table and darted for the door. She threw herself into the rain, caring not that she had left her umbrella inside.

“Rena!” was the last thing she heard from her mother before she slammed the door.

She ran, but wasn’t sure where to. After a moment, the warmth left her body and the cold settled in. Her soggy clothes stuck to her skin. Thunder crashed and lightning flickered, but Rena kept running. The raindrops pelted against her body as hard as small pebbles. Then the rain turned into hail.

Rena stopped at the bridge on the edge of Arlia, the mouth of the Shingo Forest beckoning to her. But she didn’t care about the danger. Even if a monster came at that moment and gobbled her up, it wouldn’t matter. If what Mayor Regis said was true, then monsters would overrun Arlia in a few short months, and then nothing would matter at all.

She fell to her knees on the bridge, the chill from the wood touching her legs. The hail plunged into the river, but Rena didn’t mind the backsplash. Welts formed on her hands and thighs from the wrath of the ice pellets. She couldn’t feel the pain anymore.

He wasn’t the one.

“He has to be,” she said with a sniffle. The salt from the tears stuck to her cheeks, but were washed away by the water trailing her face. She felt unfazed by a large piece of hail that struck her in the ear. 

She turned her head, bit down on her lip, and whispered, “He has the clothes and the Sword of Light. He can speak our language. How can he say that he’s not the one?”

Her heart cried out for answers, but the sound of the rain was all she could hear.

Her body shook as the chill snaked through her, and she pulled her knees up to her chest. She settled her face in between them. 

“Father…what should I do?”

***

“ _What am I supposed to do?”_

“ _Calm yourself, Westa. There’s no use in Rena hearing us and getting upset.”_

“ _Calm myself?_ _ **Calm**_ _myself? How am I supposed to do that? That child is upstairs passed out from crying for her dead father. It’s my turn to do the same.”_

“ _I know, Westa, but you’re not the only one suffering. You are her mother, and you must stay calm for her sake.”_

“ _How dare you, Regis. I honestly doubt that you would be able to do the same if you were in our shoes. My husband is_ _ **dead.**_ _”_

“ _Please, Westa…”_

“ _Without Noa…how can I survive? What am I going to do?”_

“ _Westa…He was important to me, too. But we have to stay strong, now. Please, don’t forget that.”_

“ _I…I know. I’m sorry, Regis. You’re suffering, too. But, you know…I still haven’t told her the truth, yet. And now…now that he’s gone…I’ll have to do it…all by myself.”_

“ _I—”_

“ _You try it, Regis. You go and you tell Elly that she’s not your real child. Or Jeremias. Tell him that his life is a lie. How do you do that?”_

“ _Please, Westa. You’re letting yourself get out of control. You need to calm—”_

“ _I knew I should’ve gotten rid of that damn pendant. It was the last connection she had to her real parents. Without it, I could’ve made her mine. My real daughter.”_

***

“So…I guess that that means I’m no one then…right?” Rena reached inside of her shirt and pulled out a shining, gold, circular pendant. A faint, blue stone dangled in the center. She held it close to herself and wept softly. “I don’t belong anywhere.”


	3. The Son of Ronixis J. Kenni

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Rena rushes from her home, Claude is left to his own thoughts. For the first time, we see the deep introspection of the ensign, his struggle for acceptance, the loss of an old love and friends, and what it really means to be the Warrior of Light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Alas, Star Ocean will never be mine.
> 
> The first segment through Arlia is always a challenge to get through, even in the game. But it's fun making Claude push people, like Alen (I really want to draw the umbrella scene, though). I did say Claude/Rena, right? Be prepared for some ::gag:: WAFF very shortly.

**\/\/\/**

**An Ocean of Mirrors**

**Chapter Three**

**The Son of Ronixis J. Kenni**

**\/\/\/**

From the moment he saw her, Claude C. Kenni knew that Rena was a special girl. She had an active imagination, but that only added to her personality. He was never allowed to have an imagination as a child. Always growing up in the shadow of Ronixis J. Kenni, the man who fought in the front lines against the Rezonians, Claude found himself doing things because he was “his father’s son,” and not because he was “Claude.”

He grew weary of only being known as the “Admiral’s son,” a shell with no soul. It was the reason he disobeyed his father’s orders on Milocinia, but it was also the reason he had ended up in Arlia. At least, that was part of the reason. Claude couldn’t quite explain the feeling of coming home to a planet he had never been to, but it was, perhaps, because it was his first mission. Either way, the ensign wasn’t sure which was better, now that he remained separated from his father and crew. His problems went from bad to worse after becoming aware that the very planet he had been transported to was about to be destroyed, and that it had been decided that _he_ defend it as the Warrior of Light.

“I’m no Warrior. I can’t save _anybody._ ” He pounded a fist against the table.

It was all just so unfair. Why couldn’t anyone see things from his point of view?

He regretted having ever used his phase gun. At first, he thought he had violated a law under the Underdeveloped Planet Preservation Pact, but that didn’t matter anymore. Because of that damn gun, this whole mess erupted. And he had to watch Rena cry.

Maybe she had tricked him into coming to this village, but that couldn’t be true because of her tear-stained face. Had he really been the one who tricked her?

“Rena!” Westa cried as her daughter fled the house.

“Oh, Rena.” Regis’ head drooped.

“It’s raining out there.” Westa snatched up her boots and threw them on. “She’ll catch a death of cold.”

“Westa, wait.” Regis stood in the way to stop her, but she pushed past him.

“Out of the way,” she snapped and wrestled against him. Claude was about to intervene, but, apparently, he was quite strong for an elderly man, much to Claude’s surprise. “My little girl is out there.”

Claude grit his teeth and dropped his attention to the tabletop.

“Please,” Regis’ voice remained calm, even as he struggled against Westa. “At least dress a little warmer.”

“I don’t have time for that _._ It’s dangerous at night, as you should know. My daughter almost died once today, I won’t let a repeat scenario happen. Get out of my way, Regis.”

A thought clicked in Claude’s head as he stared at the phase gun in his hands. Without this weapon, Rena would have surely died. Even though it caused him problems in the back end, a life had been saved because of it. He returned the gun to its holster. “Wait.” Claude’s head snapped up and the chair skidded as he stood. “I’ll go and find her.”

His voice silenced the argument, and they turned to him, both adults entangled within each other.

“Mr. Kenni…” Regis released Westa’s arm.

“Just give me an umbrella.” Claude held out his hand.

“You shouldn’t be the one to have to run after Rena,” the mayor explained. “Let us take care of—”

“I’m the only one who can talk to her,” he protested. His eyes met Westa’s. “Please, give me an umbrella.”

Westa’s eyes trailed to a lone umbrella by the door, a pool of water underneath it. She removed herself from Regis and retrieved it, water trailing off its edges. Claude met her at the front door and she passed it to him. 

“Thank you, Mr. Kenni,” she said. “Please, find my daughter.”

He nodded, popped the umbrella open, and stepped out into the rain. He was welcomed by a pounding noise from above. White pebbles scattered across the ground, and he found it easy to mistake the hail for a blanket of snow.

“Wonderful. Sleet,” he mumbled to himself. “I hope Rena took shelter.”

The ensign glanced around, trying to catch her figure in the area, but the darkness made it impossible to see very far ahead. Flickers of light from candles beaconed him forward, and he realized that they were coming from the windowsills of villagers’ homes. It reminded him how undeveloped the planet was, and that the concept of electricity would have to remain unspoken. He hadn’t known a time when electricity wasn’t readily available, and hoped he wouldn’t have to spend long getting used to it. 

He walked forward and shuddered against the cold. One hand held the umbrella and he cupped the other around his mouth to shout, “ _Rena!_ Rena, can you hear me?”

Only the pounding hail replied. He swallowed and stared at the dancing candlelight in someone’s window.

“She’s probably really steamed at me,” he mumbled to himself. “She might not even answer if I call out.”

Venturing further, he checked behind several buildings and trees that looked like good spots for shelter. He resorted to knocking on doors, asking if the townsfolk had seen her. Some joked about a lovers’ quarrel, while others took the matter more seriously. In the end, however, no one had seen Rena.

He cursed and tried to dispel his worry. Claude convinced himself that she was smart—that she wouldn’t run out of the village in the dark, no matter how angry she was. He only hoped he had convinced himself correctly.

“Rena, Can you hear me?” he called out again, but didn’t expect a reply.

He found himself still disappointed when he didn’t receive one.

The thoughts of her being angry transitioned into something worse. He remembered the monster in the Shingo Forest earlier and wondered if it had had friends. If she was in the forest…

He shook his head of the terrible thoughts. “No… _No._ I can’t think that way. She’s around here somewhere.”

Claude took to the western side of town, jogging down what he remembered being the dirt road. He ignored the puddles in the way, running through them, no matter how deep. He stepped in one that turned out to be a hole, and his shoes filled with water. He cursed and did his best to ignore the cold, but the wetness became more than an irritation. He spun in circles in case he missed anything, and his heart raced in his chest, pulsating directly between the bones in his ribcage.

By the time he arrived at the end of town, Claude was empty-handed. He looked to the right and recognized the church and the waterwheel, and a set of trees to the left.

He thought of where to search next, but nowhere in particular came to mind. Perhaps Rena had sulked home, but he was certain she wouldn’t have slipped past him unnoticed. The fear of her being in the woods was becoming a reality.

He slapped his thigh. “Dammit…Dammit, Rena.”

But he damned himself most of all.

“I’ve got to find her,” he told himself. “I know she wants me to be that Warrior with all of her heart, but she has to accept that I’m just not that person.”

A memory flooded his mind. He had heard that before, from his father refusing to teach him baseball. Ronixis was a commodore, not a coach. His father was a commodore and not a lot of things Claude wished he was.

“I guess…we’re the same, then.” He sighed. “I need to find her. I can’t wait any longer.”

There was only one place left to search. Despite the dangers, he prepared himself to enter the Shingo Forest, for Rena’s sake. Placing a hand on the holster that held his phase gun, he looked in the direction of the village limits.

“If she’s not there, then I don’t know where else to look,” he said and sighed.

He jogged to the edge of town, the hail bouncing off of his umbrella. Claude shivered, the parts of his fingers that weren’t covered by his cut-off gloves numb and swollen. He stifled a cough and kept going.

At the edge of town, he could make out a small figure some feet away from him. It was hard to define the dark silhouette, but the sounds emitted from the figure kept Claude curious.

“I don’t belong anywhere.”

The voice was soft, but cracked in between sobs until it fell silent. It didn’t take much more to recognize Rena’s pitiful form on the bridge. Though relieved to have found her, her weeping ripped through his chest like an animal attack.

He felt certain that he had never been more like the monster he killed earlier that day than he was at that exact moment. He used a hand to sweep back the bangs in his eyes and exhaled. He couldn’t think of anything worthwhile to say. Although he hadn’t known her for more than half a day, he could never imagine intentionally making someone cry, especially a girl. It would be as bad as making Jen Parker cry, and he could never do that— _would_ never do that.

There was the unmistakable sound of chattering teeth, and Claude imagined her soaked and cold frame huddled together on the bridge. It was enough of an incentive to motivate him forward, and he slowly approached her from behind. He mentally ran through the list of things he wanted to say, but by the time he stood over her, he had nothing.

He placed the umbrella over her delicate form. Her sniffling ceased and Rena’s sudden movement indicated that she had noticed the change.

“Rena,” he said her name softly. Now left vulnerable, he cringed at the stinging sensation caused by the battering of hail and rain. “Your mother is worried about you.”

She said nothing, which came as an immediate blow to Claude, as though someone had thrown an unfair punch into his gut. Trying his hardest to keep the umbrella over her, he used his arm to wriggle free from his jacket. It took several attempts, but after it loosened, he slid his other arm out and leaned forward.

“Here.” He draped his jacket over her shoulders. Wet spots formed on the outside of the fabric, but the inside was still warm. He couldn’t see her face, and wasn’t sure if she had accepted his kindness. “You’re going to get sick.”

Still, she said nothing.

Claude sighed, feeling the droplets of rain trail down his face and over his lips. But he minded the hail a great deal. Several spots across his head and shoulders were sore from the repeated damage. Placing himself under the umbrella as well, he took a seat next to her on the bridge, holding the safety from the rain above the two of them.

“Listen.” His shoulder nudged hers. Though happy she hadn’t run away upon his arrival, he wondered if she would stay to listen to him speak. The image of her fleeing the bridge was clear in his mind, even as he said, “I’m really sorry, Rena. I’m sorry I couldn’t be what you wanted me to be. But, you see, I come from a place with really high expectations. I can’t even commit to those, much less your legendary Warrior of Light. I just can’t…save anyone.”

“So, you won’t even try?”

His ears perked up. “Huh?”

“You won’t even try?” She shifted a little, and he could feel her arms wrapping closer around her body. His jacket rubbed against his bare arm, and he wished he hadn’t been caught in the rain wearing a single black tank top. 

“I don’t know what you think I can even do,” he said. “It’s not like I possess any supernatural abilities or anything like that. I’m just a regular guy.”

He swallowed and tried to restrain his shivering. His gaze held the river, ripples and splashes created by the downpour. Then he realized that the hail had stopped, at the very least.

“That’s what you keep saying,” she mumbled. “Millions of people are going to die if nothing is done about the Sorcery Globe. You heard the mayor. Soon, the village of Arlia will look just like Eluria. There will be nothing that we can do to stop it, either. If the Warrior doesn’t come soon, then…we all…” she trailed off.

Claude knew that he was no warrior, that much was true, but he couldn’t stand to hear her voice crack anymore because of him. His mind reeled back to the three of them sitting in the living room, his eyes falling upon her tear-stained face. He couldn’t explain himself, even now, why he had been unable to pull his gaze from her. If millions of people ended up looking like Rena in the end…

The umbrella hit the bridge with a sloppy thud. She stopped speaking when he suddenly turned and wrapped his arms around her fragile body. He didn’t know what compelled him to do it. He just didn’t want to hear her cry anymore. Her tiny gasps entered his ears, and the start of a word she never finished. Her body shivered against his, clothes soaked, and skin cold to the touch—not even his jacket could make up for that. She felt small and tiny against his frame. Jen would have been more toned and taller if it had been her. But she would have never let him hold her. Connor was holding her instead.

Claude didn’t belong on this planet. He owed responsibility to no one _._

So why couldn’t Rena see that?

“Don’t cry,” he begged. “Please don’t cry.”

He released her with one hand and reached back to fumble for the umbrella. It didn’t take long to find it, and he held it above their shivering bodies. Rena’s whimpers subsided, but she did not speak, and acted like nothing had happened. Her eyes stared straight ahead. With his other hand, he raked it through his soppy hair.

“S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.” He wished she would look at him. “We should head back to your house, Rena. You’re going to get sick if you stay out here.”

“What about you?” he heard her whisper. “You’re going to get sick, too.”

“I don’t care,” he found himself saying. “I promised your mother that I would find and bring you back safely. If you get sick over all of this, I won’t have kept my promise.”

She offered a dry chuckle in response. “So my mother sent you out here to find me?”

“No. I offered to do it on my own.” Claude’s hand slid from his hair and onto her shoulder. He tugged gently on it. “Can you stand? I’ll help if you want.”

“I’m okay,” she mumbled and pulled away from him. 

He could feel the spot next to him become empty, the warmth leaving, and he absentmindedly climbed to his feet. Claude stood next to her and kept the umbrella above them.

“Do you want your jacket back?” she asked.

“No. Keep it until we get back to the house.”

He took on a headache and his eyes stung. What he wouldn’t have given to learn that everything had been a nightmare, but pinching himself didn’t break the reality he was in. He hoped that the next day would offer more positive possibilities. If he could shed the guilty conscience, he knew he would.

Claude kept close to her the entire way home.

\/\/\/

“Oh, Rena. You’re soaked to the bone.” Westa rushed to her daughter and pulled her into an embrace. Her eyes trailed to Claude, who stood clad in a soaked, black tank top, and white pants—both of which seemed to hang down around his body. His matted hair stuck to his face—a condition that he and Rena both shared.

Rena held Claude’s damp jacket around her shoulders, shivering and teeth chattering. Mayor Regis remained present next to the dining table and watched as Westa guided Rena to the fire she had put together in the front room. The ensign remained in the background, hugging himself to keep warm, but didn’t want to seem too obvious about it. He wanted to be in front of that fire, too.

“Young lady, what in Tria’s name compelled you to run outside in the rain like that?” Westa scolded, fussing over Rena’s clothes and tangled, wet hair. Rena remained as still as a statue, eyes turned toward the fire, while her mother hovered. “You could catch your death of cold from being out there. Now then, warm yourself by the fire and I’ll bring you some dry clothes.” 

Rena sat on the couch, hunched over, and stared into the colors of the blaze without saying a word.

Westa turned and silently gestured for both the mayor and Claude to follow her up the stairs. Both shot a glance in Rena’s direction before obliging and met her on the second floor. At the top, they followed Westa into the guestroom where Claude had been placed earlier. She shut the door behind them.

“I’m very worried about her.” Westa’s back hit the door and she sighed. “She hasn’t been this upset since her father…”

The mayor looked to Claude. “Rena believed with all of her heart and soul that you were the Warrior of Light, Mr. Kenni. She may not appear it, but she’s a very sensitive girl.” Lowering his eyes, he added, “It would probably be best to leave her alone for now.”

“Thank you for bringing her back.” Westa stood straight and offered a small bow. “You let Rena wear your jacket, didn’t you?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I gave it to her for the trip back.”

“I see. I’ll dry it for you, then.”

“It might also be best if you do not stay here, either, Mr. Kenni.” Regis placed both hands on top of his cane. “Rena needs space. Please, you’re welcome to stay at my home. We have a spare bedroom upstairs.”

Claude sighed. He hated being the cause of trouble for Rena and these people. And now he was being shuffled around like secondhand clothes. Still, if this was what was best for her, he had no choice but to comply.

“That’s very kind of you, sir,” he said after a moment. Turning to Westa, he said, “And thanks for your hospitality, too.”

Her smile wobbled. “Not at all, Mr. Kenni. I’m really sorry about this misunderstanding. Please, come back and get your jacket tomorrow.”

Regis and Claude left the house soon afterward, Rena still seated motionless in front of the fire. Regis grabbed his umbrella and motioned for Claude to join him under it. The rain fell as hard as ever.

The ensign wasn’t surprised at the vastness of the mayor’s home. After all, he did manage the village. A lit fireplace settled in his front room off to the right, accompanied by a couch and several chairs. The logs popped and cracked, and he saw an ember eject itself out into the open. It died before ever touching the ground. Pictures hung from all four corners, and he admired the large grandfather clock that wouldn’t ring ten o’ clock for another forty-five minutes. Since there was no sustainable electricity, and he hadn’t seen a battery around, he wondered what powered it. On the left side of the door was the adjoining kitchen. The maid, whom Regis introduced as Lila, and whom Claude had met earlier on his tour with Rena, stood inside the kitchen boiling off a pot for tea. The mayor called for her to bring up dry clothes for Claude to sleep in and to hang his wet ones in front of the fire.

Other than the obvious before him, Claude didn’t have time to go sightseeing before Regis took him up to the spare bedroom. It was located in a corner of the large house, near the balcony. He confessed that it used to belong to his daughter, Evelina—whom he lovingly nicknamed, “Elly,” and now lived on Lacour Continent—wherever that was—and then prepared the ensign for bed.

“Before I go, there’s one last thing I’d like to say to you, Mr. Kenni.” Regis pivoted on his feet.

Claude struggled to keep his stinging eyes open, and shivered in his wet clothes. Still, he maintained a respectful disposition in spite of his discomfort and said, “What’s that, sir?”

In a lower voice, Regis said, “I want you to act as normally as possible here. Please refrain from using your object that we mistook as the Sword of Light. You see, there are many people in this world who share Rena’s passion for the legend of the Warrior. If you were to go around and pretend to be someone you weren’t, it would instill false hope into them. Rena wouldn’t be the only one hurt at that point. Things have been unsettled since the Sorcery Globe landed, as I said before. Please, try to understand.”

Taking in all of his words, Claude could only respond with a simple nod.

Regis appeared relieved and exhaled. “Thank you. In that case, Mr. Kenni, what’s your next course of action?”

Claude stared at the bed. He very much wanted to sit on it, but again remembered his wet clothes. He wished Lila would hurry. It didn’t seem that Regis had taken notice of the ensign’s shivering, and Claude had to restrain himself from diving into the bed, lest he soak the blankets and be miserable all night. It looked large and comfortable, but Claude wasn’t comfortable, so he tried not to pay much notice. Though his eyes burned, it wasn’t due to drowsiness. All that rang in his mind were the mayor’s words, and Rena’s face came to mind. He couldn’t keep the irritation from settling into his blood, but did his best to ward it away from his voice.

“I don’t know,” he finally said, gaze falling to a desk across the room. “I’m trying to find a way to get back home, but I’m not sure how easy that’s going to be.”

“In that case, why don’t you stay in our village for a while? Perhaps you’ll find something useful during your stay here.”

Eyes glancing up, Claude’s lips contorted to one side. “That…that’s very kind of you, but I can’t allow myself to impose upon you like that.”

Regis chuckled. “You wouldn’t be imposing at all, Mr. Kenni. I assure you, if anyone has been imposing at all, it would certainly be us. I apologize for all the trouble we’ve caused you.”

Without much that he could do, and nowhere to turn, Claude realized that he lacked choices, and that made him feel worse. He sighed and nodded.

“Thank you, Mayor. I’ll do that, then.”

“Very good, Mr. Kenni. I’m glad to hear it.” Regis turned to leave. “Please get some rest. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow.”

Closing the door behind him, Claude found himself left all alone.

Once he became certain that he wouldn’t be disturbed, he kicked off his shoes, pulled the red headband from around his head, and let them drop to the floor. Lila brought up the clothes as promised and he undressed. He removed his transmitter, a waterproof music player—it clicked on when he tested it, much to his relief—and the rest of his belongings, and set them on the dresser next to the bed. He placed his wet clothes in a basket she had left for him. Pulling the dry shirt over his bare chest, instant relief overcame him as though a furry animal were hugging him and the shivering stopped. The shirt felt like wool, unlike the thin cotton of his tank top that he was used to. He studied the primitive clothing, tracing the stitches in his fingers and wondered how long it had taken to make, since mass production wasn’t a thing of Expel. 

After he changed, he blew out the candle and fell into the bed. Flipping onto his stomach, he pulled down the covers and crawled underneath until the cool sheet across the mattress tickled his arms.

It had been a long time since he slept in a nice bed, having been in space on his father’s ship for the past two months. The beds were hard like plywood, and the blankets were thin and ripped easily. Silence was also hard to find on the Calnus, and now that he had it, Claude realized that there were so many other things on his mind; the transitions between each worry were sporadic and choppy. The events of the day were finally hitting him, and before he knew it, he felt sick. His father, his men, losing touch with all of them, getting lost on Expel with no way back to where he had started, and the whole mess he had gotten himself into.

He was _no_ Warrior of Light.

But that didn’t kill the guilt.

Rena…

She had been his first friend on this planet. She had big hopes and dreams and believed in silly child-like fairytales like the, “Warrior of Light.” Maybe he felt honored that she’d seen him as someone great. He had never been anybody great before. He had always been the Admiral’s son.

But he couldn’t lie to Rena.

He was no warrior. He didn’t possess any kind of special power.

As much as he also appreciated the mayor’s offer, Claude knew that no answers were going to be found in Arlia. He couldn’t stay in the village, lest he stay there forever. He needed to get out and travel. Perhaps the answer lurked in the next village.

He turned over in his bed and pulled the covers up to his chin.

If he stayed, he would have to face Rena each and every day.

He doubted that she would forgive him, even though he didn’t have anything to be sorry for. But he knew that about himself. He couldn’t stand it when someone was mad at him. That had been part of the reason he left Earth. He had three months left of his Federation Training, but took a leave of absence and pushed back his semester to get away from Jen, the girl who smashed his heart to pieces. Now, what he wouldn’t give to see her again, even back to the last day when she had turned down his offer to become his girlfriend and it erupted into an argument. He would even take her fury and callous words, especially if she would take his. After all, they had been friends for six long years, suffering through a high school sponsored by the Federation, academy training, and baseball, even if they were on different teams.

His best friends, Fredrick and Michael would be wondering why the continuous letters back and forth stopped, since Claude couldn’t write them from Expel. It hadn’t been his idea to suspend the academy to join the Calnus crew. After the fight with Jen, his academic performance dropped and he skipped most of his classes. His father became concerned, but not in a fatherly way. As an alternative to being kicked out of the Federation Academy, his father presented the option to become a probationary ensign on the Calnus for two months. Both Claude and the director accepted the opportunity. It couldn’t have come at a better time than when he and Jen were fighting. But Fredrick and Michael couldn’t understand the decision. They all only had a semester left of Federation Training, couldn’t he just wait one more semester? But Ronixis J. Kenni had a reputation that would let him pull any string he wanted and the director approved. It was no problem to put some of Claude’s required units toward a space expedition.

“But what about the prank?” Michael argued.

Claude assured he would be back in time for the senior prank.

“She’ll be transferring to a different space station after graduation,” Fredrick said about Jen. “I doubt they’ll let her play baseball up there. I thought you were going to join the leagues with us.”

Claude reminded him that they were in Federation Training, not the big leagues.

“It’s a bummer that you’re leaving the team,” Connor O’Riley said when Claude announced his departure into space that weekend. “You’re a second baseman we can’t replace.”

Although also a friend, Claude wished the team would replace Connor, who was the real reason Jen turned him down. He still wondered what it was she liked about Connor more than him.

If he had known how things would play out, he thought he could’ve handled three more months with Jen, even if she never forgave him.

“I have to get some sleep,” he said aloud, as though it were the voice of his father, reprimanding him for thinking such silly thoughts and staying up so late. “Lying here and thinking about it isn’t going to get me anywhere.”

Closing his mind off, he shut his eyes and rolled onto his stomach.

But even though he had willed himself to silence the one-sided conversation, his thoughts continued to torment him, despite his efforts to keep them at bay.

He couldn’t sleep most of that night.

\/\/\/

“Good morning, sir, how did you sleep?” Lila walked into the room, carrying something in her arms.

Sourly, Claude sat up in bed, imagining dark circles under his eyes.

“Fine, thanks,” he grumbled.

She stopped, watching him with a kind of curiosity. It seemed as though, at any moment, he would topple over and not get back up. He was certain she saw what he already knew to be true. His eyes felt swollen and red, he imagined his unkempt hair sticking up everywhere as though he had shoved his fingers into a light socket, and had a sore throat from last night’s screaming and excursion through the rain.

He didn’t try to hide his discomfort, even when she placed a tray of food on top of the dresser next to him.

Lila’s smile seemed weak and fragile, and her eyes twitched, as though uncomfortable being in the same room with him. She announced, “Miss Rena was here bright and early this morning. She told me to give something to you.”

The sudden mentioning of Rena brought Claude to life and he craned his head to meet the maid’s face. She bowed and left the room without another word. He wanted to ask what Rena had brought for him, but before he could open his mouth, Lila returned, holding a familiar jacket.

“She said to give you her dearest thanks for letting her use it.”

“Oh…” Claude dejectedly took the jacket from her and wondered if that had been all that Rena said. “Thanks.”

“The mayor is downstairs. He told me to tell you to come down once you’ve finished breakfast.”

She turned on her heel to depart, but something prompted her to stop. Claude watched, interested, and set the jacket on the floor while he waited for her to speak. Slowly gazing back to him, she produced another frail smile. His brows pushed together, uncertain of what was on her mind.

“The mayor told me about what happened last night. Miss Rena seems to be okay, but you look like you could use some warm tea. Should I bring you some?”

“Ah…uh…” He lowered his gaze, feeling mortified to know that he looked like hell, and doubted the tea would do much for his oncoming cold, but said, “That would be wonderful. Thank you very much.”

She left him alone to his breakfast.

While he ate, she came in with lemon tea that he found to be fantastic. He wondered if there were herbs in it, like the ones Rena had shown him the day before. He hoped so. Claude told himself that he could get used to them.

Lila also brought him his dry Federation clothes and told him to put the ones he was wearing into the basket by the door so that she could wash them. He sipped his tea and nodded.

Something warm washed over him when he finished. His sore throat disappeared and he felt his energy return. By the time he went to wash up, he thought he could run ten laps around the village. Claude forced himself to relax, breathing in deeply as he made his way down to the first floor. He remembered that he hadn’t had the chance to look around Regis’ home, and didn’t want to snoop, but couldn’t believe the things he saw on the wall and on the shelves.

He still couldn’t figure out what powered the grandfather clock, and books on science, geology, and literature lined Regis’ shelves. Claude felt that, perhaps, he had been too judgmental, referring to the Expellians as primitive creatures on an underdeveloped planet. Some of the pictures hanging from Regis’ walls were of a younger him, laughing with colored hair, a trimmed beard, and two children on each arm. Claude knew one to be Elly, who appeared eight or nine in the picture with wild brown hair, perfect dimples, and green eyes. A boy clung to Regis’ teal tunic, though he appeared younger than Elly. His cropped black hair and wide, blue eyes suggested a five or six year old. Claude scratched at his cheek and pondered. Regis hadn’t mentioned a son, and wondered where he was, now.

“Ah, Mr. Kenni.” Regis turned from his spot on the couch. Claude caught sight of a roaring fire in front of Regis. “I trust you slept well?”

“Yes,” he lied. “Thank you for your hospitality, Mayor. I really appreciate it.”

“Not at all, not at all.”

Claude seated himself in the chair next to the sofa. He set his hands in his lap, interlocked them, and leaned forward.

The mayor said, “Well, it certainly was quite a night, wasn’t it, Mr. Kenni?” At Claude’s dry laugh, Regis continued, “I’ve been thinking…If you can’t find what you’re looking for here in Arlia, then perhaps you should try the mining town north of here, called Salva.”

Claude’s interest piqued. “Really?”

“Yes. Salva is a famous town where people from all over come and trade various goods and mine for stones within the caves. Just follow the road here for about an hour and you’ll reach Salva.”

Claude didn’t have to do much thinking before he made up his mind. “I think I’ll do that, Mayor. Thank you for the advice.”

He stood to leave, but Regis halted him with a hand. The older man removed himself from the couch and moved around the side of the fireplace. “I’ve been waiting for you to get up all morning, Mr. Kenni. I figured that your Sword of Light would draw too much attention to yourself, so I’ve prepared something for you to take on the road.”

Coming back to Claude, he gently carried across his forearms a long object inside of a leather casing. When the ensign peered closer, he found himself amazed to see that a lengthy sword was nestled inside of the sheath. 

He had only seen battle ready swords in museums and auction houses.

His eyes jolted up. “M-Mayor…”

Regis nodded. “Please take this, Mr. Kenni. Think of it as an apology for last night. Lila told me that you looked quite ill this morning. I can only assume that it’s from being out in the rain. I hope the herbal tea has helped with that. Also, I want you to feel free to come back here to rest any time that you wish.”

“But…but I…”

“No ‘buts,’ Mr. Kenni. All that I want is for you to accept my gift.”

Claude paused before taking the sword from the mayor’s hands. It felt heavy against him and almost awkward. Speechless at his gratitude, Claude could only conjure up a smile and attach the sheath to his belt, just over his holster. It dangled off the side of his hip.

“Now then, I’d appreciate it if you left without seeing Rena. The less the two of you see of each other, the better. You must understand, she is the kind of girl who lets her feelings get the best of her. Seeing you would only strengthen her pain.”

Claude’s smile twisted and his eyes fell.

“I…I see…”

Regis showed him to the door. “I’ll be sure to thank Westa on your behalf. If you ever require my services again, please, feel free to come back.”

Shuffling out of the house, Claude couldn’t help but allow Regis’ words to ring in his mind.

_“Seeing you would only strengthen her pain.”_

“…Rena…” he murmured.

He stood outside the mayor’s house for quite some time. Somehow, he couldn’t help but disagree with him. Regis couldn’t expect to be the spokesman for Rena. If she didn’t want to see him anymore, Claude wanted to hear it from her own mouth.

He ran across the way to her house, but Westa hadn’t seen her daughter all morning.

“You wouldn’t mind checking up on her, would you?” she asked and hung in the doorframe. “I’m sorry, you’re always having to chase after her.” Her eyes fell to his side.

Claude shifted and felt the growing weight of the sword on his hip. He wondered if he looked strange with it. “It’s no problem at all. And thank you for washing and drying my jacket.”

Westa shared a smile with him.

He left her and escaped around the side of the house. Claude had a good idea of where the girl would be, thinking back to the night before. He made haste to the other end of town, but she wasn’t on the bridge. He ventured into the Shingo Forest, trying to recall his way around.

He held the sword by the hilt and strode forward with confidence, eyes vacillating across the forest surroundings. He remembered the monster from before, and it worried him a little, but it worried him more that Rena could be out in the woods, alone, and definitely not in the best state of mind.

He recognized the particular features of a split stump. After that were some crunched bushes and some broken twigs. Feeling assured that he was heading in the right direction, Claude picked up speed, and ducked under a leaning tree before continuing along the forest path.

It wasn’t long before he caught glimpse of blue hair and a bright red cape fluttering in the breeze. He exhaled, happy that she was safe. But then it occurred to him that what Regis said might be true. She could still be angry or hurt. Maybe she didn’t want to see him again.

Claude straightened his back, and grunted.

He shooed away the negative thoughts, but caution would not let him proceed. He wasn’t looking forward to the upcoming conversation. The battle of “is she or isn’t she?” tore him down the middle. At first, he took two steps toward her unsuspecting form, and then stopped in his tracks, scared.

Scared of what?

But he didn’t have the option of retreating, and his presence was immediately recognized after a stick snapped under his boot.

Rena whirled around, eyes wide and startled. Whatever Claude wanted to know, he would know now, at this moment.

“Rena…” he whispered.

She held a hand to her mouth and closed her eyes, most likely relieved that it hadn’t been another monster. “Oh…It’s just you, Mr. Kenni.”

He took another step toward her and waved. “Morning.”

She mirrored his greeting, though it lacked the cheer and brightness he was used to from her. “Good morning.” Then a pause squeezed in between them, and Rena lowered her eyes.

Claude felt awkward standing there, and truly wondered if it had been a good idea to come. Perhaps Regis had been right after all.

“Please…forgive me for everything yesterday,” she blurted out, much to his surprise. “I truly didn’t mean for that all to happen.”

He stammered, four different sentences becoming one. Claude stopped, focused on what he wanted to say, and said, “No, please don’t worry about it. Seeing everything in perspective now, I can understand why you came to that conclusion.”

She shuffled her feet a bit and lifted her eyes to meet his, recognizable anxiety within them. “You’re not…sick, are you? From last night, I mean. Mayor Regis said that you were sneezing all last night.”

Claude offered her his profile while his mind attempted to recollect the events of the night. He hadn’t remembered sneezing. He was positive he hadn’t slept at all.

“Oh, no, I’m all right. Lila, right? Lila made me some tea this morning and I feel much better.”

He waited for her to reply, but received her back instead. She lowered her head and held her body tightly. Claude tilted his head, wondering what would make her so afraid that she couldn’t look him in the eye.

“The legend of the Warrior has been with me ever since I was a little kid, you know,” she said, almost in a whisper. “Whenever our world was in peril, he would come and save us.” She gave a dry laugh. “And a lot of people are suffering right now, don’t you think? So when you showed up, I just thought that you had to be the one.”

“Yeah, but…Rena…”

“I was positive, you know…”

Clenching his teeth, he felt the guilty pang return to his chest. He used a hand to grip his other shoulder, tearing at the cloth of his jacket. “I…I’m sorry that I’m not the Warrior you wanted…”

It had felt so good when she praised him for saving her the first time, like he was somebody other than an “Admiral’s son.” Like there had been a reason other than his position as a second baseman or a probationary ensign or _something_ that made him valuable. For once in his pathetic life, he felt like he belonged—like someone depended on him. It made it easier to get over Jen, and accept that he might never see Fredrick and Michael again.

Now, to find out that it was because he had been mistaken for someone he could never be…discouraged him.

He wasn’t sure if it was the way he sighed or how he stood that caught Rena’s attention, but she hastily said, “Oh, no, please don’t take it that way, Mr. Kenni. It’s my own fault for being so easily drawn into the stories of the Warrior.”

He felt desensitized to the words, but said, “I really do wish I could be your Warrior, Rena. I wish I could be the Warrior everyone needed.” The words angered and frustrated him as he pushed them through his lips. He said them only to make things better. But nothing felt better.

She shook her head and glanced sideways. “No, please don’t think anything about it.” Her lips tugged up into a disproportional smile, but he could tell it was forced. “I hope you can find your way home, Mr. Kenni.”

They both were playing charades, he knew that. They could tell each other that neither was at fault, but it was clear that both harbored the blame. Rena wanted a miracle, and Claude wanted to be that miracle.

And when Claude found his way back home, what then? Would anything change? Jen would still hate him. He’d still have a semester to finish at the academy, while his friends would’ve already graduated without him. Professional baseball wouldn’t be an option. He would’ve failed his probationary period as an ensign and his father would relieve him of any future active duty. A long lecture from his father wouldn’t be enough, and perhaps Ronixis would demand his son’s expulsion from the academy and sent back home to his mother. It would be the biggest dishonor he could serve to his family.

No matter what, he had disgraced his family and the Kenni name. And he wouldn’t be given a second chance, either. All of his father’s men would look down on him with folded arms, unyielding frowns, and their noses turned up.

_“There’s the son of Ronixis J. Kenni, the kid who got his father into trouble.”_

_“What a handful. His poor father…”_

_“I know he was raised better than that. He tries to act like an adult, but with mistakes like the one on Milocinia, it’s true that he’s just a kid.”_

Claude could feel himself breaking. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go home anymore.

But then…where would he go?

She interrupted his thoughts. “I…I’m sorry, but would you mind leaving me alone here for a little while?”

“Oh…” She was pushing him away. He had been afraid of that. And with the combined visions of his father’s scornful glares, his bleak future, and disgrace, he couldn’t take being there any longer himself. “Sure. No problem.” He turned to walk away, “See you around, then…”

He didn’t wait for her to say anything else. Before he knew it, he was sprinting through the forest, the extreme feeling of loneliness tearing at him. He didn’t want to say that the mayor had been right, but maybe he had.

The pain of being around her took its toll on him, too.

He wanted to be the Warrior of Light, after all.

Claude cursed himself and his weakness all the way back into Arlia. He nearly mowed down a man in a red cape with dark hair when he crossed the bridge. He couldn’t explain his sudden burst of energy, anger or not, but even when Lucien tried to slow him, Claude pushed him out of the way and darted out the gates of Arlia.


	4. Wedding Crasher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claude can't seem to concentrate, even while engaging with the Salva residents for clues on how to return to his ship and crew. The only constant is the talk of the mayor's son, Alen, and his marriage to Rena, scheduled for that afternoon. But something seems off with Alen, and as Claude encounters them on the trail back to Arlia, he can't help but agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Star Ocean will never be mine.
> 
> Chapter four is here, as is the introduction of Alen(?).
> 
> WARNING! Vivid depiction of blood and violence in this chapter (which will become a recurring theme later on).
> 
> As you may have noticed in the previous chapter, especially, Star Ocean starts to take a different turn from the game in relation to events that aren't revealed or never mentioned again. Claude and his crush, Mayor Regis and his family, Rena and her father, and, well, it's interesting that there's no lingering fear of what happened with Alen and the stone incident. I mean, in the manga, he *does* strike Westa, and that's all water under the bridge by the time he brings Rena back. 
> 
> ...Yeah, it's not water under the bridge in this story.
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!

**\/\/\/**

**An Ocean of Mirrors**

**Chapter Four**

**Wedding Crasher**

**\/\/\/**

“What’s the matter, kid? Something bothering you? Say, why don’t you get yourself a drink to loosen up?” The bartender seemed prepared to fix him one.

Claude’s fist tightened, and he slid it off the counter and into his pocket. Sure he was upset, but it wasn’t just all about Rena, either.

Wait…where had that come from? No, no, that wasn’t right.

“What can you tell me about the Planet Milocinia?” Claude asked, slower this time.

The bartender frowned. “That again? Look, I said I never heard of nothin’. But I can sure see in your eyes that you got something else on your mind, kid. Let me guess…girlfriend troubles? I see that stuff all the time, and you share the same pitiful face that most of these guys do.”

Claude felt his eye twitch.

“Never mind.”

He removed himself from the stool and left.

It had been like that ever since he arrived in Salva. No matter where he looked, or whom he asked, he remained at a dead end. He didn’t want to draw attention, like the mayor had asked, but without giving away some of his secrets, he was bound to run around in circles without any clues.

And besides, everyone appeared too wrapped up in the recent events occurring in Salva to have any interest in him. From all of the talk, the mayor’s son, Alen, was planning something big. He had hired several carpenters from neighboring towns, including Arlia, and spent all of his time in the mines behind his mansion.

It really wasn’t any of Claude’s business, but then he heard Rena’s name.

“She’s his bride to be,” he eavesdropped on two passing girls in the trader’s market. He stared at them from between two market tents, a skinny brunette and a redhead wearing far too much pink, even for a dress. “I’m so jealous,” the redhead said.

Claude couldn’t help feeling slightly lied to. He remembered hearing Alen’s name from Lucien the day before. Rena had never mentioned that he was the son of the mayor, Bernard Tax, nor that she had been engaged to him.

“What? _You?_ ” The brunette laughed and stopped in front of a fruit vendor. Although she had her back to Claude, he could hear her say, “Everyone says that he’s turned into a real jerk. I feel sorry for Rena.”

The redhead scoffed and crossed her arms. Her eyes wandered across from tent to tent until she made eye contact with Claude. He broke the gaze and turned sideways.

After a moment, she said, “What’s there to feel sorry for? He’s probably like that because he’s with someone like her. I’ll bet that if he had chosen me to be his bride, I would’ve made him happy.”

Claude glanced back at the girls, both staring at each other. The brunette’s lips twisted into a stony smile. “I don’t know. It’s just that, well, Alen’s changed lately. He never wears red, but that’s all he wears now. And he acts so different—almost like there’s another side to him.”

He rolled his bottom lip under his teeth and watched the girls until they stopped in front of a cattycorner jewelry tent.

The redhead combed back her bangs and smoothed down her gaudy pink dress. “Yeah, well, whatever. You’re just imagining things. Alen is a hunk and one day he’ll see that he’s much too good for Rena.” Her chortling faded and the two continued down the strip.

He shifted in his spot and wished for a place to sit. He brushed a fallen bang from his face before stepping out from between the tents.

Rena wasn’t a bad person as far as he could tell, but her description of Alen from the day before had been short and harmless, being childhood friends from a neighboring town. He frowned, still unsure of why she would lie about being engaged. Wouldn’t that be something to tell everyone? Maybe she’d be happy, getting married and all. But a part of him felt unsure.

He stretched. He had originally planned on traveling to Salva with Rena, perhaps to clear the air from the night before. He doubted from the very beginning that he would be able to find a way home in Salva, but he thought that the walk would settle his mind. It also would’ve been nice to travel with someone he knew. But Rena didn’t seem interested in seeing him.

It didn’t matter anymore. He knew that whatever happened, it didn’t really concern him. He had to focus his attention on getting home. He just hadn’t wanted to end on bad terms with the very first friend he had met upon coming to this planet.

Salva itself wasn’t a very big town, but, as the mayor said, there were many people in it from all over the world. With this many people, Claude found himself eager to meet each new face and learn about their ways. He learned about Cross Kingdom, which sat in the heart of the continent, also called Cross. Fortunately, the kingdom lay just on the other side of Salva, a few days walk there at most. It amazed him to think that there were still monarchies in rule during such a time, but Expel was an undeveloped planet. He had to remember that.

Another man he met was a fisherman from the port town of Clik, on the other side of the continent. It was the closest port to travel to, otherwise, one would have to traverse all the way to Herlie, and that would take far longer to walk than just a few days. The neighboring kingdom, Lacour, was preparing their world renowned tournament for the next month. From what he had gathered, it was a tournament of arms, and swordsmen and other melee fighters traveled from all over to compete for a championship. Apparently, the prize this year was more handsome than any year past. He remembered that Regis’ daughter, Elly lived there, too.

Each man or woman he met had a unique trade and could probably spend forever talking about it, but no one had the _right_ trade, as far as Claude was concerned. And the town was hot and dry—nothing like Arlia had been. Most of the buildings were rickety and faded.

He stepped around a stake sticking up from the ground, the mines not far from his standing. The only remarkable attraction was the building directly offset from the mines, a brick wall encompassing the corners of the house. Claude had to crane his head to see every story and he felt a heavy weight drop in his chest.

“This must be Alen’s house,” he mumbled to himself. “Well…at least he has money. He’ll do well for Rena.”

He turned on his heel and walked away. He didn’t want to see the beautiful garden inside the front yard, or the iron gate that closed out intruders, or the gorgeous bay window that overlooked the town.

He had never seen Alen, but from the descriptions given by the townspeople, he could vividly imagine a handsome man about two feet taller than himself with shining eyes that could capture a woman’s heart with the snap of strong fingers. He would be wearing a grand suit, probably made from suede or velvet, and a long cape would drape from off his shoulder. It would ruffle behind him as he walked, and his long boots would click with each step, signifying his powerful presence.

The most important thing about him, Claude thought, would be his smile. Smiles kill, he often heard. He was positive that that was Alen’s smile, too.

He clutched the hilt of the sword dangling against his hip—a habit he found himself growing into whenever he was upset or anxious.

“I can’t believe that no one has any information here,” he muttered. “What a waste of time.”

Then Alen would be walking down the aisle with Rena, holding out a hand, patiently waiting to make her his bride. She would say yes, and he’d say yes, and then they would share the everlasting, unbreakable bond with a kiss. He would take her back to Salva in his white carriage right before the sun went down. It was always more romantic at sunset. The clouds would be swirls of pink and orange, like a hot fire in the sky. He would be staring at her while she batted her eyelashes back at him.

“ _I hear he’s turned into a real jerk. I feel sorry for Rena.”_

“Guess there’s no point in hanging around here,” he said to himself. “Maybe I’ll head back to Arlia and have another chat with the mayor. He’s a pretty wise guy, and he’ll know what to do. Yeah, I’ll do that. That’s a good idea.”

And, above all else, whenever danger came near, Alen would be there to protect Rena, just like the Warrior she always dreamt of.

“Stand back, Rena,” he would tell her, protecting her with his life. He would stand between her and danger. He would grip his sword in one hand, anticipating the oncoming battle, and hold her back with the other. 

“Oh, Alen!” she would cry out, “Please be careful.” But she wouldn’t _really_ need to worry, because it was Alen. _Nobody_ could defeat Alen. Who could defeat a Warrior?

“Dammit!” He kicked the sand and watched it sail like a tan rainbow through the air. “I can’t believe I ended up here in the first place. All of these townspeople are so oblivious to the technology outside of their world. How am I supposed to get home now?”

He sidestepped around a group of chatty girls, all around his age.

“I heard that Alen went to Arlia to pick up Rena,” one said. “They’re supposed to be getting married today.”

“Really?” chimed another. “Whom did you hear that from?”

“His personal bodyguards, of course. Alen can hire those, you know. He left with his horse and carriage just a little while ago. He was smiling like a little girl with an ice cream cone.”

Claude stormed past the gossiping bunch and left town as quickly as he had come. Only a small few poor souls were honored with his arched brows and stormy eyes. They turned and said nothing, or pretended not to see him.

“Man, don’t they have anything better to do in their spare time besides gossip?” Claude said into the air. A man swept his front porch nearby, but did not glance at the ensign. “It’s probably all that these people are good at. If I tried asking them about a spaceship or Planet Milocinia, they’d answer with something stupid about Alen and how amazing he is. All of these ignorant people. If it had been my father, _he’d_ have a field day educating them.”

His stomping transitioned into a jog, and his thoughts on the gossiping girls fueled the energy needed to sprint. By the time the tallest structure in Salva disappeared behind the horizon of the windy hillside, Claude was tearing down the road like he was in the middle of a one hundred yard dash.

Then dust filled the air, followed by a loud clanking noise and rapid pattering. His run ended with a sharp stall, and he stared from the top of the hill at a large object moving just as fast toward him. Swallowing back his fatigue, he peered forward, wondering what it could be that could kick up as much dust as the thing coming toward him.

The object became an animal—two animals at that. Galloping horses, accompanied by a thrashing whip and carriage, tore their way up a hill in the road before descending to the bottom. 

Paralyzed with interest, Claude searched for the coachman before the carriage disappeared at the bottom. The ensign stepped back as the carriage ascended the hill he stood on, and shielded his eyes with a hand from the sun. He kept his attention fixated on the road, and waited for the horse and carriage to reappear on the ascent. As it came to even footing, Claude recognized the form of a passenger beside the coachman.

No matter how hard he wanted to, he could not deny the blue hair and fluttering red cape sitting next to a man in crimson. Claude clenched his teeth and scrutinized Alen. The man seemed unaware, and Claude gripped the hilt of his sword. He took a defensive stance in the middle of the road, knowing that the carriage could not pass by without running him over first.

“ _I hear he’s turned into a real jerk. I feel sorry for Rena.”_

A thought occurred to him and his hand moved from the hilt to the gun in his holster.

“ _I hear he’s turned into a real jerk. I feel sorry for Rena.”_

His fingers curled around the butt of the phase gun and his index finger clicked a button. He could hear a low buzzing noise, indicating that the weapon was charging.

“ _I hear he’s turned into a real jerk…”_

He yanked it from the holster and aimed at the carriage, which closed in on him quicker than he could register.

“… _I feel sorry for Rena.”_

“Sorry, Mayor…” he whispered, his finger tightening on the trigger.

He estimated the carriage at around fifty feet. At the rate it was going, it would be difficult to stop.

“Stop that carriage,” Claude shouted. “I’m serious!”

His commands went unheeded by Alen, who threw his head back and laughed. Alen cracked his whip against the horses and yelled something the ensign couldn’t quite make out. His eyes remained on the still-moving carriage, his shoulders shaking as the sound of rampaging hooves against dirt left him apprehensive and jittery. He hadn’t actually thought that Alen would be the kind to run him over.

He _hoped_ Alen wasn’t the kind to run people over.

However, he wouldn’t back down—not until he talked to Rena.

But, from what Claude gathered, Alen seemed to be the one calling the shots, not her. The mayor’s son fiercely clutched his whip, and Claude could almost see his dark, beady eyes.

“One last time or I’ll shoot!” Claude called out. His hand shook under the gun. He couldn’t shoot. If he did, he would kill Rena in the process. And Alen didn’t appear prepared to stop.

The carriage came at him like a bullet, and he couldn’t hold his ground unless he risked being trampled. He braced himself to jump.

“Out of my way, peasant!” Alen swung the whip across the road and it caught Claude in the chest, knocking the breath from him.

His feet left the ground and his mind whirled alongside his hurled body. His head slammed against a rock and his back arched and slapped to the ground between long blades of grass. The weight jolted his legs in reaction, and he lay still for a moment. His arms and upper torso throbbed and he slowly pulled them to his chest in a tight hug. His vision spun and a sharp sting pulsated between the wounds on his head and chest. He concentrated on both and felt something thick roll down the side of his face. Two of his fingers wiped it away and he stared at the red blotch worming down his torn, green glove.

“Blood. Figures…” 

He struggled to sit up and watched the carriage disappear on the other side of the hill toward Salva, the wheels and pounding hooves along with it. The plume of dust faded into the air. Claude collapsed into the long blades of grass, defeated as it became silent in the open vicinity. 

“I can’t believe this,” he mumbled.

Claude breathed in and formulated the question of what to do next.

After a moment, the new-found pain dulled and he forced himself to sit up. He shook the aching from his head and waited until the ground stopped spiraling before brushing the back of his glove against the wound. When he pulled back to observe, he realized that the blood had slowed. Then he tugged at the collar of his black shirt and gazed at his chest. A bright, red line wrapped around his ribcage, and stung to the touch. He sighed and shakily recalled the last few minutes.

“He hit me with that whip,” he said aloud. “I never thought that he would play dirty like that.” He closed his eyes. “Rena didn’t acknowledge me, either. I doubt she’d ignore me, even if she’s unhappy with me.”

“ _He’s turned into a real jerk…”_

“That settles it.” His hands trailed over grass blades and tore them from the ground. “This whole thing stinks, and I’m gonna get to the bottom of it.”

Claude’s knees quaked as he shook, and he held himself until the queasiness subsided. Patting his backside, he realized that his phase gun was missing. He whirled on his feet and searched the ground, and then dropped to all fours to sift through the grass. He raked his hand through the areas of grass where he had landed. At first, he found nothing, but forced himself to remain calm, and tried again. Then, after a string of failures, his fingers ran across something soft. He cupped it, expecting to feel the butt of his gun. He found himself puzzled to find that his grip wasn’t as comfortable as he had remembered it being. He pulled the object out of the grass and realized that he was staring at a gold, crescent shaped hairpin.

His lips twisted. “I know this hairclip. It belongs to Rena.”

Rena.

Running off with Alen _hadn’t_ been a decision made between the two of them.

He clenched the hairpin between his fingers and told himself, “I need to find my phase gun.”

Claude was going to take Rena back to Arlia, and there wasn’t a damn thing Alen could do about it.

Glittering from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of his phase gun, laying out in the road.

\/\/\/

Claude C. Kenni wasn’t as surprised to find a crowd standing in front of Alen’s house as he was to find that no one had done anything about Rena’s predicament. Everyone huddled together, remarking on the Arlian girl’s situation and expressing pity.

“What do you think Alen’s gonna do to her?”

“I’d like to help her out, but I’m just a merchant. I don’t have any remarkable skills as a swordsman.”

“If I died, there would be no one to watch over my family.”

Claude squeezed through them, not having the time or patience to sit and listen. Seeing the gathered crowd made him uneasy. He had a feeling that they were there for reasons other than offering blessings to the “happy couple.” Alen hadn’t taken Rena home with him because she agreed to it, that much he was certain of.

Claude watched the front door as though he expected someone to open it and invite him inside. He jiggled the handle and pounded a fist against it. Turning the handle again, his worst fears were confirmed.

“It’s locked,” he seethed. “Good thing his door isn’t phase gun proof.” 

Giving a sly chuckle, he reached into his holster and pulled out the phase gun. Before he had time to think things over like a rational person, Claude jumped from the steps, spun on his heels, and pulled the trigger.

The door blasted from its hinges and splintered into thousands of pieces. Reverberating crashes echoed against the floor and walls, prompting screams around Claude, as well as from inside. He shielded his face, and waited for the dust and debris to settle before examining the open hole into Alen’s home. The remains of the door lay scattered about, inside and out of the mansion.

He grinned, but swallowed it when the gasps from the crowd caught his attention. They stared at him as though he had transformed into a hideous monster. Before he had a chance to come up with some kind of excuse, he became distracted by the beeping gun in his hand.

“The battery’s fried,” he mumbled.

A lady shrieked and thrusted a pointed finger at him. “What was that?”

“It _must_ be the Sword of Light,” proclaimed another.

Cringing, Claude fumbled with his gun, but caught it and tucked it into the holster. He kept his eyes away from the crowd and understood what the mayor had meant about keeping a low profile. But there was no time to waste. He had to find Rena and Alen, no matter what.

Ignoring the talkative crowd, he darted inside the house and executed his search. A grand staircase unveiled itself before him, which curled to the left and right and trailed upstairs. Claude craned his neck, but saw nothing. His ears perked when the floor creaked behind him.

Taking the initiative, Claude withdrew his blade and jumped back with a loud, “ _Hyaaa!”_ He figured that would stop anyone in his or her tracks. When he landed, his sword was only inches away from the neck of an old man donned in velvet, brown garments. Claude assumed him to be the butler, and the man stumbled into a corner, prompting the ensign to move closer.

“Where did you take Rena?” He glared at the old man and inched the sword toward his neck. The tip of the blade scratched skin and the wound glistened red.

The butler’s Adam’s apple bobbed, eyes gazing across the steel of the sword stained with his blood. Eyes bouncing from Claude to the sword, he stammered, “I…I don’t know. B-But I’m certain that the young master and Miss Rena haven’t left the house.”

The ensign watched the butler’s face for any signs of falsehood, though he knew he wasn’t very skilled in the art of detection. However, he kept his face stern and intimidating. “You’d better not be lying.”

“I…I _promise,_ ” the butler wailed.

Convinced that he was telling the truth, Claude stepped back, and lowered his blade. “I’m going to search the house,” he announced. “Don’t try to stop me.”

He made his way up the stairs and stopped at the first room on the right. He kicked the door open and jumped into the middle of the room with his sword prepared. A table and several chairs occupied the room, but it was otherwise empty. Slowly turning in a complete circle and holding his breath, Claude gazed at the untouched area. There were no signs that a scuffle or fight had taken place.

He ran to the room across the hall.

Claude tore the blankets from the bed and hurled them to the floor before looking underneath. He scrambled to his feet and yanked at the long window drapes, but no one was behind them like he recalled in the movies. He slammed the door, but the space behind was empty. Leaving the room, he rushed to the next one. Again, he searched under the bed, tossed chairs aside, and looked in the closet.

“ _Rena,_ ” he cried out. “Rena, can you hear me?”

He darted down the stairs and his knees buckled when he hit the bottom. Using his sword to balance his body, he stood straight and glanced around the foyer. The butler’s eyes watched him with obvious unease, but Claude ignored his presence. He had to find Rena, no matter what it took.

He had no idea how much time he had spent looking, but his body became exhausted after a while and left him breathless. The cook in the backroom swore that he saw nothing, and even Claude’s threats of wrecking his fine dinner display didn’t change that. The maid upstairs initially came off as less than friendly, but her attitude quickly changed when Claude started ripping the room apart with his sword. He even checked the first two rooms a second time, but the longer he investigated with no results, the more discouraged he felt.

He staggered into a room tucked behind the stairs, a bookcase and a desk being the only two things in the room. 

“They’re not here,” he mumbled and dropped to his knees, the sword clanking to the ground. “They’re nowhere.” Claude clenched his teeth and he pounded the floor.

He tried not to think about the things Rena was experiencing at that moment, the things Alen was doing to her against her will, and how Claude wasn’t there to stop him. 

The house was empty save him and the butler. Everything was neat and tidy and…and they weren’t here.

“Dammit…” Anger possessing him, he seized his sword and swung it around the room. He cut the books on the shelves and smashed a lone box behind the desk. Spinning on one foot, he kicked the bookshelves, hurting his foot more than he had them. He slashed the window, and smiled to hear it break into pieces, shards of glass caking the sill. He swiveled and slammed the hilt of his sword down against a golden lantern in the room.

It echoed like a gong, but did not break. He halted when a creaking sound skid across the floor and he glanced over his shoulder. The bookshelf slid toward him on its own, grunting under the weight of the books and documents. He gasped and hopped out of the way, lest the moving furniture crush him. It crunched against the broken glass and stopped on the other side of the wall.

Before he could register it, Claude was staring down into a bleak passageway that smelled of mildew and soil. A set of stairs lay before him, and he ran into the darkness. His steps hadn’t taken him far before a twinkle of light illuminated from above and attracted his eyes.

“A lamp,” he said. “Of course. I should’ve known that it would lead to the Salva Mines. That can only mean one thing.”

He continued through the mine, the mildew and moisture transforming into fouler stenches from minerals and damp, earthy soil. He slowed his pace and sniffed the air. He thought he smelled sulfur, but wasn’t sure. The passageway ahead narrowed, bars running along the ceiling, and he clumsily hopped over a wheelbarrow he failed to notice earlier.

A foreign voice hissed into the air, “S-Someone there?”

Claude turned to the wall on his right. Eyes trailing the concrete, he reacted as the form of a crumpled man on the floor stole his attention. A rust colored pool nestled into the crook of the man’s shoulder. 

“Hey.” The ensign fell to the man’s side, and struggled to prop him against the wall. Mud dirtied his face and tattered clothes, and lines were etched at the ends of his eyes and lips. Dried and fresh blood stuck to the side of his head, his neck, and clothes, the wound a sizable patch of sticky liquid matted into his hair. The bleeding hadn’t slowed. He lightly shook the delirious man. “Are you all right? Who did this to you?”

A flicker of life shined in the man’s eyes and he seized Claude’s hand. “No time…no time to talk…Alen…he kidnapped Rena.”

Though the ensign had known the wedding to have been transparent all along, it didn’t stop the sinking in his chest. 

Using his free hand to gesture to himself, Claude explained, “Don’t worry, I’m a friend of Rena’s. Do you know if they came down this way?”

The man’s face, dirty and bruised, beheld a sort of guilt that Claude could only catch a glimpse of. 

“I…I’m the one responsible for this. Deep within the Salva Mines…Alen had me build some kind of…altar for him.” He dropped Claude’s hand. “I wasn’t sure what it was at the time…but I think that he’s planning on taking Rena there.” Clutching the ensign’s jacket, his eyes sparkled with tears, “I…I tried to stop him, but Alen…He…”

“Don’t force yourself,” Claude commanded, his eyes focused on the man’s gaping wound. Blood pulsed up from the gash and spilled down over his ear. The ensign silently calmed himself before casting a glance to the far end of the passageway. He spotted a black hole that he assumed to be the entrance into the Salva Mines. “So they’re in there?”

“Yes…but…you must be very careful. I should’ve known it before, but…Alen. Something’s wrong…”

“I gathered that much.” Claude forced a smile and turned back to the other. His heart pounded with the adrenaline of finding Rena, but he couldn’t move. “I’m going to get you some help, okay?” 

The man’s lips quivered. “No…No time.” He reached for Claude, but found only air.

“I’ll be right back,” the ensign called over his shoulder as he cleared the doorway back into the mansion.

The pacing butler remained in the foyer, but was quick to react upon Claude’s command. Along with the maid and cook, the four ventured into the passageway at the ensign’s instruction, and hovered over the bleeding man, who mumbled, “Forgive me, please forgive me,” over and over.

“My word,” the butler breathed and held a hand over his heart. “Carpenter Bossman…I had no idea.”

“He’s bleeding to death,” Claude snapped, though instantly regretted it. Even during his Federation Training, he had never come face to face with as much blood as this. In quieter tones, he added, “Please, take him back and treat him. I’m going on ahead to find Rena and Alen.”

Before anyone could protest, he continued down the passageway, the obnoxious sound of his heels clicking in sync to his run making him think all the more about how far ahead Rena and Alen were. He hoped that the carpenter would be all right, but pushed any lingering thoughts from his mind. His hand held tight to the hilt of his blade as he jumped through the hole in the wall.

When he landed on the other side, he took little notice to the surroundings, Rena’s well-being consuming him. He rushed forward, carelessly, hugging a corner and tearing around the side of the corridor. Claude exhaled into a cough and a bead of sweat trailed down his face.

His arm scraped against a protruding rock and tore open his skin. But the pain was nothing compared to the guilt he felt for leaving Rena alone—for letting her down and allowing her to fall into the hands of a madman, who obviously felt no remorse in nearly killing an unarmed man.

If only he had been the Warrior. Maybe then.

The air weighed heavier the further down into the shaft he went. He stalled at an intersection.

“Wh…Which way do I go?” His knees buckled and he collapsed. “ _Rena,_ ” he shouted into the open air. “Where are you?” He was answered with more silence and he rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, the pungent odor giving him a headache. He shook it off and forced himself to stand. “I can’t let myself go here. Rena’s counting on me.”

He gave each passage a thorough reconnaissance. He couldn’t afford to rely on intuition. One wrong move and he would be out of time.

“ _Ahhhhhhhhhh!_ ”

Claude whirled in the direction of the female scream, mouth agape.

“It came from that way…” he said, still trying to comprehend the high-pitched cry. Ripping the sword from his sheath, he bolted into the furthest chamber, evident signs of construction and concrete making him feel relieved.

Then the red carpet materialized, along with the rich, wooden pews. Candles illuminated the room from every side, and in the center beheld a large altar with a familiar blue-haired woman, body stretched with hands and ankles strapped to each corner. Towered over her with a face only inches from her own was the dark-haired man from the carriage.

“Rena…” Claude stopped halfway down the aisle, disgust filling his core. 

He wanted to rip Alen off of her. Her petite form trembled under the perpetrator, hair matted to her pale cheeks. She struggled to tilt her head away from Alen’s face, a mix of grunts and whimpers emitting from the back of her throat. Claude doubted that she knew he was there.

Apparently, Alen did.

“Stop right there.” The mayor’s son waved a small dagger around Rena’s head, though his eyes remained fastened to her.

“Alen…” Claude’s eyes narrowed. “Stop this madness. Let Rena go.”

A laugh was returned. Running his fingers through Rena’s locks, Alen broke his gaze and a wide smile crossed his lips. “Let her _go?_ I don’t think you quite understand. We’re in love…in _love._ And you’re ruining our wedding.”

“Wedding’s over, pal.” Claude advanced forward.

“One more step,” Alen hovered over Rena and placed the dagger at her neck, “and I’ll slit her throat. Simple as that.”

Halted in his tracks, Claude shakily held his sword in mid-air, not quite sure what to do next. “Have you gone mad?”

“Alen, please,” Rena whispered, wet trails of tears worming their way down her face. “Stop this, please…”

Alen’s eyes remained on Claude. “There is only love to be found here. Country bumpkins, such as he, should learn some manners.”

“This isn’t a wedding,” Claude said, choosing his words carefully. He couldn’t quite discern Alen’s state, and didn’t want to trigger him into a rage. 

A small sniffle caused the mayor’s son to turn his head, though nothing replaced the unforgiving glare in his eyes. He stared down at Rena, his lips pushed together in a tight, thin line. His hand gripped the edge of the altar while the other remained still at the base of her neck. Claude held his attention there, worried of what came next.

“…Please, Alen,” she whispered.

Much to Claude’s surprise, his glare melted and eyes widened. “Rena…Y-You’re supposed to be in _love_ with me…” Alen clenched the altar’s edge harder and waved the dagger in her face, causing her to shrink back. “Why? Why would you give me such a look of pity?”

“Please…” Her sad eyes remained on him and he staggered against the altar. “Alen…”

Claude saw something flash in Alen’s face, but it was unrecognizable. Alen grabbed his head and screamed Rena’s name, over and over again. 

“We’re supposed to be in _love,_ Rena,” He gripped the dagger with both hands. “In _love._ ” 

Alen staggered to the wall behind him. He threw his head back and pounded the wall until the dagger tumbled from his hand. In the midst of the tantrum, he had cut himself, and blood poured from his palm. Alen screamed, his shoulders strained and back arched.

Claude sprung from his position and landed in front of Rena. Her wide eyes watched as he brought down his sword and sliced her bonds.

“Are you all right?” He took hold of her hand and pulled her from the altar. “You should get out of here, Rena.”

She fell against him. “No, I can help you, Mr. Kenni.”

The screaming stopped. Claude froze.

Alen’s body doubled in size, his garbs ripping from his body. His bones stretched underneath his skin, like elastic, muscles shredding and growing again until Alen himself was nearly five or six heads taller than Claude. His eyes illuminated with a fiery glow while his skin swirled in a black mist. His fingers twisted into claws, nails longer than cleavers. Behind him, a purple stone lingered, and emitted a strange power that left Claude quaking. It floated around Alen, and remained close, even as the transformed man moved toward the altar.

“What the?” Claude blinked several times and wondered if the beast would simply disappear. “He…just changed into a monster…”

Rena cowered behind him and clutched his jacket. “Oh, Alen…”

Claude stepped back and readied his blade.

“No.” A hand swept down on his arm. His head sharply met Rena’s face. “You can’t kill Alen.”

He grunted and fought the urge to snap at her. “Well…then any suggestions?”

“Uh…”

The monster that used to be Alen stabbed his nails into the altar top, pieces splintering and shooting in every direction. He hurdled himself onto the other side and landed with a thundering force, shaking Rena and Claude from their feet. The two toppled to the floor, Claude’s sword skittering some feet away. He could sense the shadow above and dared to look up.

Alen raised his claw and Claude turned his head. He rolled to the side as the claw smashed to the ground, and grabbed his sword. The resounding shatter of concrete vibrated inside of his head and he squeezed his eyes shut. The realization painfully came that he could’ve been under Alen’s fist, and how serious things were.

He had never been in a fight like this before. Even back then, in the Shingo Forest, he had his father’s gun to hide behind.

He suddenly felt nauseous.

“Mr. Kenni,” Rena called out.

Alen’s attention shifted and he drug his heavy body toward Rena, who had pulled herself into a sitting position. Claude stumbled to his feet, using his sword for balance. He could see Rena’s frightened face from where he stood, and Alen’s large fist raised high.

The ensign crouched and scooped up a splintered corner piece from the decimated altar. Claude had never been a pitcher on his baseball team, but he knew how to throw, nevertheless. He tucked in his body, twisted at the hip, and let the wood scrap fly.

It clocked Alen upside the head, but prompted nothing more than a reaction from the monster. The monster charged the blonde with incredible speed. With animalistic qualities, Alen bounced off the walls behind Claude, then used his elbow to connect with the side of the ensign’s head. He saw stars as he propelled through the air.

He thought he could hear Rena screaming, but wasn’t sure. A ringing noise reverberated in his brain, and he couldn’t see Alen anymore because of the light flickering around him. The buzzing didn’t help either, and his head hurt like hell from cracking against the ground. Something warm and thick trickled down his head, but he couldn’t see what it was. It smelled like iron. Preparing himself for the next strike, Claude leaned his head back, the shadow of the monster coming closer.

“Alen, open your eyes!”

Maybe Alen hesitated for the moment, but Claude didn’t know anymore. All that he could be sure of was the oncoming darkness. It didn’t feel so bad. It was almost…comforting. 

Here, in this darkness, he didn’t have to worry about being a silly Admiral’s son, or an unrealistic Warrior of Light. Alen was a monster now. Claude couldn’t fight off monsters. How could he save Rena when he couldn’t even save himself?

Rena.

Claude hoped she was all right. He had told her to run. She should have run. It was her own fault for staying.

“Heal him…please…”

Claude’s distraction was wed to the oncoming warmth in his body. It was the kind of warmth he had felt as a kid, being rocked in his mother’s arms. Or when he had gotten his first puppy or realized he was in love with Jen Parker. Hell, it was more comforting than when he and his team had won their first Junior Baseball League. 

That’s what he could compare it to?

A relief.

A stream of relief.

If he could, he would stay in it forever.

He felt calmer than before, being swallowed in the darkness that was, and his body felt suspended—lighter than anything he could imagine. With this stream of relief came the reason to try, and the reason to sit up. He found it easy to open his eyes, as though he were waking from a long sleep.

When he turned his head, he could see the blurry image of someone above him. Seconds passed, and Rena’s anxious face became the only thing he could see, her hands placed above his chest. White light poured from her fingertips.

“What the hell _are_ you?” He pushed her away and rolled to one side. The regret came instantly, as he realized that he had shoved her toward Alen. She shrieked, and looked up. Claude wondered if she was all right.

He wanted to apologize, the heat of the moment overloading his thoughts and causing him to react in such an unfavorable way. Her name formed on his lips, but he couldn’t find the will to speak it. And there was Alen, looming over her, ready to strike. Claude wished his phase gun still worked. He had absolutely no practice with a sword. But practice or not, Rena’s life was in danger.

Steadying the blade in his hand, Claude climbed to his feet, the dizziness and pain from earlier having vanished. He felt ready to fight, though he had no idea how or why.

“Alen.” The monster turned and Claude swung his sword.

It grazed Alen’s skin before he agilely swooped under the ensign, and thrust his claws toward Claude’s chest.

The ensign arched his back, the wind from the swipe tickling his face. He pivoted and lashed at Alen with the sword. Alen evaded, but could not avoid the second strike. The steel plunged into the monster’s shoulder, and he howled. Pulling back, Claude sliced at him again, but hit the glowing stone behind Alen by mistake.

Holding himself stiff, Claude wondered if the consequences of his actions were going to be in his favor. On impulse, he struck the stone again and again until it shattered into pieces. Alen threw back his head and yelled before slamming to the ground. He remained there in a crumpled heap, dark mist steaming from his body.

Claude jumped, more than surprised as the form of the monster deteriorated and the mayor’s son reverted. The sword fell from his hand and rattled as it hit the ground. Claude hugged his body close, unsure of how he had survived. His eyes trailed to Rena, who picked herself up from the floor, and swayed. She wordlessly crossed the floor toward her friend, and would not meet his eyes.

Claude’s relief washed away with anguish and guilt.

He wanted to apologize, but she was already at Alen’s side, shaking him awake and speaking his name. The power he had seen before emerged from within her and blanketed the mayor’s son in white glows. This time, instead of feeling afraid, Claude was curious, but couldn’t bring himself to utter a word.

Feeling useless, he hid himself in the shadows.


	5. The Sorcery Globe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claude studies his transmitter all the way back to Arlia, wondering how and why it had reacted to the energy stone Alen had found within the Salva Mine. That same energy appears to be a match to the Sorcery Globe's, proving its connection. As much as Claude hates to admit it, the grave conclusion he comes to suggests that his only way home is to seek the ominous Sorcery Globe that threatens all of mankind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Still don't own Star Ocean.
> 
> Woot! Finally out of Arlia!

**\/\/\/**

**An Ocean of Mirrors**

**Chapter Five**

**The Sorcery Globe**

**\/\/\/**

Claude didn’t utter a single word during the first half of the carriage ride to Arlia. Rena did the talking for the both of them, using her powers to heal her childhood friend. When Alen had come to, he appeared forgetful, not even realizing that he had kidnapped Rena to take back to his home in Salva. After she explained his behavior and what had happened, his face fell, and he made apology after apology. Seeing Alen so sad made Claude almost forget that the two had been enemies just a short time ago. After all, how could someone so emotionally distraught become a cruel, heartless monster?

Alen’s turmoil became unbearable to watch once the three returned to the mansion He made no comment on the disastrous state of the house, all thanks to Claude. Instead, his sights were turned toward the town doctor, who tended to the wounded Carpenter Bossman in a spare bedroom. He remained unconscious, and the doctor did all that he could to patch the man up, but his condition was critical. He had lost far too much blood. Claude’s medical expertise was basic at best. Even if he knew more about blood transfusions, he lacked the equipment and know-how to make a donor’s blood compatible with Bossman’s.

The color erased itself from Alen’s face, as though he recalled a terribly memory. His legs buckled and he buried his head into his hands, wailing, “It’s my fault. It’s all my fault!”

While the doctor spoke to the butler in the foyer, Rena marched into Bossman’s room and took his hand in hers. Claude watched carefully as the same white glow embraced the carpenter, the skin at his head wound kneading itself together until the injury disappeared.

It was a miracle, at least, that’s what the doctor said. But if all Expellians had the healing gift, what were the need for doctors?

Bossman remained at the Tax manor under the care of Alen’s servants, while he hitched together the carriage and summoned his coachman. The butler also offered to come along, though did not state why. Rena stayed by Alen’s side until the time of their departure, leaving Claude with nothing else to do but think.

And he remembered. After the fight with Alen, his transmitter reacted to an unknown energy. The waves were processed and recorded, and made the ensign wonder what it was that had set off the device.

He recalled the glowing stone around Alen, but the transmitter wouldn’t react to something so ordinary. Despite that, he couldn’t shake it from his mind, even during the carriage ride.

He leaned his head against the rest of the seat, filled with the sounds of trotting hooves and wagon wheels. A bump jostled him, but Rena and Alen hadn’t seemed to mind, carrying on their conversation without him.

His transmitter had reacted to the energy readings from Milocinia as well. Because of this, he couldn’t help but wonder if the two were related. It was a strange thing, Claude noticed when he arrived on Milocinia. It was almost like the feeling of coming home. Perhaps it was because it had been his first mission away from the Federation Academy. But the feeling lingered. Milocinia held a large part of Claude’s childhood. His father had spent years trying to get to the planet, putting the focus over other important things like his duties as a husband and father. Claude could never get away from the name Milocinia. The planet was in another star system entirely, and its natural defense of asteroids made it almost impenetrable. If it hadn’t been for his father’s decision to call for the Positron Cannon when he did… 

It didn’t matter now.

If the stone and gate’s readings were the same, then, perhaps, finding the source of those readings would send him home.

It was worth the shot.

“I remember the stone,” Alen admitted shamefully. “I found it deep within the Salva Mines. At first, I thought it was a good omen, but I found myself looking at it every day until I found that I could not look away from it anymore.”

The mayor’s son sat across from Claude, his eyes on Rena, who sat beside him. The coachman clicked his tongue and snapped the reins of the horses. The butler sat up front with him, and spoke in hushed tones to the other man. Claude could feel the weight of the carriage shift as it pulled against the animals. He crossed his arms and snuggled into the seat.

Rena took her friend’s hand. “Alen…”

He removed her hand from his. “I will not deny that I have deep feelings for you, Rena.” He removed his gaze from her, as though knowing that no matter what was said, it wouldn’t make her return his love. But he seemed to feel the need to continue, “I thought…I thought that the power of the stone would help you to share my feelings, but I know now that I was so very wrong.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Alen.” She smiled at him and he glanced sideways at her. “I completely understand.”

“Hmm…” He returned the smile, but it did not seem as bright and cheerful as hers. “Optimistic as always.” Alen turned his eyes to Claude. “And you, Mr. Kenni, I must thank you.”

“No need.” Claude blew a strand of hair from his face. “I’m just happy that I could be of help.”

“Rena says that you are not from our world. Is that true?”

Claude shot a disapproving look to Rena, but she stared out the carriage window. “Yeah, something like that.”

Alen bowed his head. “I apologize to have pulled you from your quest to help someone like me.”

“No, no,” the ensign waved his hands at the other. “Please, it was no trouble at all. See, I’m trying to find a way back home, but I can’t seem to find any good leads.” Claude perched his elbows on his knees and said, “But your situation…I’ve been thinking about it since it happened and I find that it shines some light onto my problem.”

Alen tilted his head, and, for the first time since their battle ended, Rena looked at Claude. He decided not to think too much about it.

“Really?” Alen asked.

Claude struggled to smile. “Yeah. Those were some pretty strong energy readings your stone was giving off there.” Pulling his transmitter from his jacket, Claude held it up for everyone to see. Alen scratched his cheek and the ensign could see Rena’s stared at the device as though waiting for it to come alive and dance for her.

Alen bit down on his lip and a crease appeared at his forehead. “I know that this probably sounds silly, coming from someone foreign to your world, but can you tell me what that is?”

Claude jerked slightly, and felt a flush hit his face. Of course, the question hadn’t come off as unexpected, but now that he had to, he wasn’t sure how to explain himself to someone who could not begin to comprehend his way of life. He contemplated the question for a few moments, wondering where to begin and how to explain it in as few words as possible.

“It’s an object that can talk to people far away.”

“Really?” Rena and Alen chimed in unison.

The ensign felt relieved that the two were interested. It gave way to a good kind of obligation to teach them something about his world, despite that the Underdeveloped Planet Preservation Pact would not agree.

“Yeah,” he continued. “Well, in order for it to work, the other person has to have one of these, too. But the range is pretty far, so you can talk to people on it from almost anywhere.”

“Can you use it to contact your people, Mr. Kenni?” as soon as the words left her mouth, Rena clamped her jaw shut, probably remembering that the two weren’t currently speaking. Claude didn’t seem to feel the same way.

His reply was calm and friendly, “Well, normally I could, but it’s also limited by reception.”

“Re…cep…shun?” Alen did a poor imitation of the word.

Claude lifted his eyes to the carriage ceiling. “Right, well, it’s…How should I put it? It’s like a carrier pigeon. The bird can only fly so far before it gets tired, right? It’s the same for this device.”

Alen said, “So…it gets tired?” At Claude’s blank stare, he looked away. “I think I know what you mean.”

Claude didn’t touch any further on his poorly constructed example. “Anyway, back to before, this device can also pick up strange readings coming from different objects. That stone you found reacted to my device from a previous encounter I had with the same energy.”

“There is a connection then?” Alen asked the question that had obviously been forming in Rena’s mind, but didn’t seem to want to voice. Claude watched her mouth open and close until she firmly pressed her lips together and breathed deeply out of her nose. Alen didn’t seem to notice her distress.

Claude’s tone quieted, beginning to feel uncomfortable around her, “Right…but I can’t be sure, you know. It’s just a hunch.”

“It is not a bad hunch.” The mayor’s son nodded, his attitude shifting to a more positive one. The ensign could tell that he was a bright man, but extremely sensitive. “What exactly do you think the connection is?”

“I’m not sure,” Claude lied. The more he thought about it, the more he was led to believe the impossible, and he didn’t know how to let Rena know how he felt without getting her hopes up. If he brought that conversation up now, the atmosphere would leave everyone in discomfort, most of all, himself. It would be better to talk about his discovery with the mayor, who seemed to understand things on a more objective level. “It might help me get back home though. Who knows?”

Alen smiled. “True enough. Well, when you think that you have figured out the connection, please, let us know. Like I said, that stone changed my perspective on things. I do not know what came over me.”

When the ensign turned back to Rena, her mind seemed elsewhere. He was a little disappointed. Claude had wanted her to say more and feared the negativity toward him would last a long time, especially since they hadn’t exactly gotten over their awkward bump in the road from the night before. But he didn’t let his fears affect his outward appearance and continued his conversation with Alen all the way to Arlia.

\/\/\/

“Rena!” Westa appeared from around the corner, arms wide. Claude recognized a black eye and swollen cheek on her face, and her head and arms were bandaged. He wondered why, but did not ask.

Returning her mother’s smile, Rena left her companions’ sides to meet her mother halfway. The two locked in embrace, arms tightly grasping the other. Westa was crying and, soon, Rena was too. Regis came up from behind and gave Claude’s shoulder a squeeze. Not sure how to react, the ensign bowed and stepped back. Alen remained close to the carriage, casting furtive glances to the villagers. They seemed to have recognized him, most huddling close to each other with wary faces. Regis was the first to approach him.

“I had no idea what had come over me, Mayor,” he explained, almost desperately. “Please, forgive me.”

“Don’t worry, Alen. You and I will talk in private.” Alen bowed his head and Regis leaned in closer. “I’ll also have a word with the residents of Arlia. They’ll understand, I assure you. There is nothing to worry about.”

Alen’s smile looked pasty and brittle. “You are too kind, Mayor.”

“Your father is on holiday, correct?” Regis continued. Alen nodded. “When he returns, I will speak to him before any rumors blossom.”

But Alen’s eyes appeared sad. “Thanks.”

Regis glanced at Rena and Westa, still locked together in a weeping hug. “At any rate, the sun is going down. Alen…” his eyes trailed back to the mayor’s son, “please, you and Emerson can stay at my home for tonight.” He gestured to Alen’s butler, who tended to the horses with the coachman.

Alen rubbed his elbow and shifted so that his back was to most of the villagers. “That is very kind of you, Mayor, but he will be returning to Salva with Oliver, I am afraid. Your carpenter, Mr. Floyd Bossman is resting in my manor, and I want there to be a familiar face for him to awaken to.”

Claude studied Regis’ face without appearing overt, but he could discern nothing under the bushy eyebrows and thick, white beard. It seemed that the Arlian Mayor understood what Alen meant because he concluded with, “Well, I’d like for you to stay, then. There are a great many things I’d like to discuss with you.”

The proposition appeared to make Alen uncomfortable. He struggled to articulate, “Is that right?”

“That boy…” Regis began as Claude stared at him sideways, and pretended not to eavesdrop. The Arlian mayor made enough of a gesture to the ensign that Alen could catch on, “…Rena found him in the forest yesterday. He came looking just like that, in those foreign clothes…”

Claude’s lips twitched. He told himself to stop trying to stare—to stop listening in—but it had always bothered him being the topic of gossip.

Alen said, “Yes, I see what you are talking about. Earlier, he showed a strange device to us.”

Regis’ voice lowered to a whisper and Alen had to lean closer to hear him. Despite their careful efforts, Claude still heard them clearly. 

“At first,” Regis said, “I wasn’t sure—especially since he claimed that he wasn’t the one, but he absolutely possesses _all_ of the traits of a necessary Warrior. Perhaps he’s not aware of who he truly is?”

Alen appeared taken aback. In heightened tones, he said, “You believe that he is our Warrior of Light?”

“Shhh, he’ll hear you. But, yes, somewhere, deep inside, it’s hard for me not to. Give him some time, though. He doesn’t think so, but, one day, he might start believing it, too.”

Claude’s fist clenched, though he tried to keep it uncurled in front of them.

“Hmm…” a smile cracked at Alen’s face, “A Warrior…”

“You must be so tired.” Westa unintentionally interrupted their conversation and all eyes fell to the mother, who turned to lead her daughter home.

The rest of the villagers appeared ready to do the same, but their eyes were fixated on Alen. Claude felt uncomfortable for him.

“Wait, Westa,” Regis held out a hand. “I’d like to talk to Rena and Mr. Kenni at my house for a minute, if that’s all right.”

“Oh…” Westa’s hand dropped from Rena’s back. Her eyes hovered on Alen; the spark of fear did not go unnoticed by Claude. In a shaky voice, she said, “Of course, Regis. That is, if Rena is all right with it.”

Rena looked to Claude. He felt hidden in the shadows as he turned his eyes to the sunset, but knew that all eyes were upon him. 

“Yes, Mayor,” she said. “I’ll join you.”

\/\/\/

“Thank you again, Mr. Kenni,” Regis said once everyone had situated themselves in his large dining room. “That’s the second time you’ve saved Rena’s life.”

The mayor gestured for him to sit next to Rena at his long dinner table, but one glance into her eyes made him think twice. He took a seat next to Alen on the other side instead.

“We are in your debt,” Regis continued. “If there’s anything we can do, please name it.”

“Actually, there is something.” Claude pulled the transmitter from his pocket and set it on the table. “When Alen turned into a monster, a stone lingered and followed his every step. That stone emitted a strange kind of energy. Before I came to this planet, I was surrounded by that same power. This device has the ability to measure wavelengths of energy and I was surprised to discover that the wavelengths match up.”

“What do you think it is?” Regis scratched his chin, but Claude wondered if the mayor was actually following along. If he wasn’t, he did a great job of pretending. 

Claude took a deep breath. He knew the importance of this moment and would’ve rather discussed it with the mayor alone. His theory appeared farfetched, and worried that everyone would disagree and become defensive. And that reason was very, very understandable.

He began, “I have a speculation, but I’m not quite sure. If catastrophes are linked to the Sorcery Globe, perhaps it’s that?”

As suspected, Regis held up a hand and said, “Don’t misunderstand, Mr. Kenni. Not all catastrophes are linked to the Sorcery Globe.”

“Mayor,” Claude gave him a hard stare and leaned forward, his hands curled around the edge of the table. “I know you don’t want to believe that it’s linked to the Sorcery Globe because these instances are occurring so close to your village and that could only mean one thing.” His words prompted silence from everyone around the table. Before they had a chance for rebuttal, he continued, “But it was _you_ who said that it wouldn’t be long until the same kind of disasters found in El Continent would appear here, too. Please, try to be realistic.”

“Mr. Kenni,” Alen cut in. “We do not doubt what you say, it is just—”

“It’s just difficult to take in, I know,” Claude said, his thumb grazing over the transmitter. “That’s why we have to be open to everything. Can you tell me more about the Sorcery Globe?”

“Uh…” Alen’s face lowered, but he shot a furtive glance in the mayor’s direction.

“Are…you saying…” Regis’ mouth snapped shut when the sound of a chair screeching drowned him out and Claude stood.

“Look, that doesn’t mean _anything._ I already told you that I’m not your Warrior. I’m not capable of saving an entire planet. I just think that if I could find out more about this thing then I’d be able to find a way back home.”

His outburst was rewarded with despondent faces around the table, and Claude slowly lowered into the chair. He chastised himself for, once again, crushing the hopes of those around him.

“Well, it is funny that you should mention the Warrior.” Alen gave a dry chuckle. “Not only did my little mishaps make it across the town of Salva, but I have heard that rumors of the Warrior did as well.”

Claude slouched and rubbed the back of his neck. The mayor’s eyes fell upon him and before he could ask what happened, the ensign confessed, “I…I was trying to break into Alen’s house…so I used my phase gun.” Then he rushed, “I’m really sorry, Mayor. I know you told me not to, but I couldn’t find any other way into the mines and I wanted to save Rena and—”

He caught the wounded look on Rena’s face at the last second before she turned away. The ensign wondered what could be possibly going through her mind.

“Do not worry, Mr. Kenni. It is understandable, really,” Alen appeased. “I am sure this mess will get cleared up when my father comes back, so please do not let it trouble you.”

Claude sheepishly looked back at him. “And, uh, I’m really sorry about thrashing your home. I don’t have any money, but I’m not bad with my hands and I’m a quick learner—”

The mayor’s son shook his head and chuckled. “Truthfully, I should be happy that that was all you did. I completely understood what you must’ve been thinking when you were looking for Rena. Don’t worry, I can hire as many artisans and carpenters as necessary to make the repairs.”

Despite his kind face, Alen’s worried eyes betrayed him. If the townsfolk in Salva were anything like those in Arlia had been, Alen and his father were in for a good deal of backlash. There might not be anyone willing to take on favors or work from them after today. Claude could not deny that he appreciated his rumors of being the Warrior more than what Alen was going through. 

“I agree,” Regis said. “You had Rena’s best interest at heart, but it would be impractical to hide it from everyone any longer.”

Claude’s eyebrow arched. “Hide what, Mayor?”

“Your presence. And if your theory is correct about Alen’s stone and the Sorcery Globe being related, then maybe it really _is_ worth an investigation.”

Claude knew what was going through their minds. Even though this was supposed to be a quest to send him home, they were self-interestedly thinking of their own problems. Of course, so was he. But would he really do it? Could he go on the quest to stop the Sorcery Globe? His lips twisted a bit.

The ensign shifted in his chair and said, “Sir, I know that you think because I saved Alen, that might qualify me as being the Warrior.”

Regis laced his fingers together and propped them on the table. “I won’t deny that I hold that thought to my heart, but it also might prove to be beneficial to you as well, Mr. Kenni. The Sorcery Globe may hold all of the answers you need to get back to your world.”

Claude stared at his transmitter.

The mayor continued, “I know it’s selfish for us to put this task upon you, especially with the agenda of helping us, but…”

Claude grabbed the device and turned it over and over in his hand. Rena used a finger to draw invisible circles on the tabletop. Claude wanted to know her opinion, even though he was sure it was in unison to everyone else’s. Or maybe he just wanted her to speak to him. He wasn’t sure which.

“It’s… _not_ just some meteorite, is it, Mayor?” Claude sought his eyes for confirmation. He found it. “This Sorcery Globe…If it’s causing all of these disasters as you said before, then…”

A smile broke at the mayor’s old face and he said, “If you plan to go, then I suggest traveling directly to El Continent from the port of Clik. It’s past Cross Kingdom, but you must first obtain a passport from the king himself.”

The transmitter had never felt as heavy in Claude’s hand as it did at that moment. His eyes studied its every line and contour, the screen dead of all activity. It was almost a dream to think that it had reacted to the stone’s energy with nothing to power it. But if the energy could power a lifeless machine, what else could it do? 

He stifled a sigh and said, “All right, Mayor. I’ll go and investigate the Sorcery Globe.”

Heat crept to his face and neck at the prospect of everyone staring at him. Even Rena gazed up at him with happiness glittering in her eyes. He wished he could share her happiness. Although he had agreed to do it, the sorrow in his heart betrayed his words.

He didn’t want to go, but he couldn’t see an alternative.

Perhaps Regis could see his dismay, but even if he did, it didn’t stop him from saying, “Excellent news, Mr. Kenni.”

“Now, just remember that I’m not your Warrior,” Claude repeated and wasn’t sure how many more times he would have to. “If I can help everyone in the process, that will be worthwhile, but I’m doing this for my own personal reasons.”

“We understand,” Regis said. “We will help you in whatever way that we can.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” the ensign exhaled.

“Anyway…” Regis stood from his seat and crossed the room toward the front door. “It’s getting very late and you have a long journey ahead of you, Mr. Kenni.” His attention shifted to Alen, who also rose from his chair, “I’ll have the maid prepare a bed for you.”

His face relaxed, as though Regis’ offer had removed a heavy weight from his mind. “You are too kind, Mayor.”

Regis turned to Claude, “And you’re welcome to the guest room again, Mr. Kenni.”

Claude nodded. “Thank you.”

Taking her cue to leave, Rena stood and bowed to Alen and Regis. “Thank you, Mayor. I’ll be going now.” She hugged Alen and added, “I’m happy that you’re all right.”

“Please come to Salva anytime, Rena,” he said into her hair and returned her embrace. “Can I walk you home?”

“No, that’s quite all right,” she said and placed a hand on his arm. “I was thinking of taking a small detour before heading home. It’s such a pretty night sky out, don’t you think?”

But Alen didn’t share her sentiment. “Please, be careful, Rena. You’ll make us worry.”

Claude half expected some words from her to him, but she spun on her heel and left through the front door.

\/\/\/

After the meeting, Lila escorted Alen upstairs to rest and Regis disappeared into his study to examine some documentations on calamities and prophecies. Eyes unable to leave the spot where he had last seen Rena, Claude felt anything but apprehensive for the next day’s journey.

She hadn’t said anything to him. He was going to leave and she didn’t care.

He felt worse about what had happened that day.

Claude took to the outside air, sitting on the mayor’s steps. Hugging his knees to his chest, thousands of things ran through his mind: the Sorcery Globe, the battle from earlier, and Rena. 

“It would take a blind man to not see that you’re discouraged, Mr. Kenni,” Regis said and lingered in the doorway. After a moment, he stepped outside to join Claude and closed the door.

The ensign tilted his body and stared across the way. Faint candlelight acted as a beacon in Rena’s window. He wondered how long until it died.

“Do you really think that Alen will be okay?” he asked after a moment.

Regis exhaled through his nose and rubbed the top of his cane. “He certainly is wearing a brave face, isn’t he? You have every right to be concerned. Although the stone may have caused Alen to behave that way, the townsfolk will never forget what they saw here today.”

The mayor’s words hung in the air and Claude’s brows knitted together in confusion. “Do you mean when he came to Arlia to take Rena back with him? What happened?”

“I fear that telling you will paint him in a different light. Perhaps it’s best that you are not made aware.”

Westa’s face suddenly emerged in Claude’s mind, her blossoming black eye and purple cheek, and her arms wrapped in bandages. He felt certain he would never forget the look she gave Alen before allowing Rena to come along to Regis’ home. He would never forget that indescribable fear in her eyes. 

He pulled his knees into his chest tighter and said, “So that’s what happened to Rena’s mother. It’s the same with Mr. Bossman. I found him in the shaft of the Salva Mine with a severe head injury.”

Regis’ voice became stern, something Claude hadn’t expected. “Listen, Mr. Kenni. I will ask that this conversation go no further than between us and to please put those thoughts out of your mind.” Claude glanced up at the mayor, who stared back with hardened eyes. His shoulders lifted and he leaned closer. “Alen is like my second son. I’ve known him since the day he came into this world. The monster you saw today is responsible for the actions taken against Westa and Floyd. It may take some time to convince the villagers here and in Salva, but I will not allow slanderous rumors to harm Bernard and his son’s reputation and will do everything in my power to help Alen through this.” Once finished, he stood straight, but his stony face did not leave Claude’s.

Uncomfortable under the heavy stare, he broke eye contact with Regis and changed the subject. “I treated Rena like a monster today,” he said. “I’m not surprised that she’s angry with me.”

The tension seemed to fade with the new conversation topic and Regis took a seat next to him. Claude wondered if he was comfortable, especially sitting on narrow steps in his older age.

“Alen said that Rena used her special power on you.” At the mere reminder of his poor actions, Claude scoffed and turned away. “I understand that you’re not acquainted with our way of life, correct? You didn’t even know what herbs were.”

“I don’t blame her for never wanting to talk to me again,” he spat back, more ire with himself than the other. “I pushed her away and yelled at her. I wish you would have _told_ me that you guys possess powers like that.”

The mayor gave a soft laugh and the ensign was about to question him until Regis said, “That power belongs to Rena and Rena alone.”

Claude shot to his feet and whirled on the mayor. There were many things Claude found that he wanted to say, but nothing could come out in one sentence.

Regis tightened the grip on cane and leaned back. “Let me tell you something in confidence. Westa is _not_ Rena’s mother.”

Claude’s mind blanked as the prospect was presented to him and sputtered, “W-What…?”

Regis held his position, his legs straddled slightly on the step he was on, and smiled. Claude was amazed that the mayor could speak so calmly while the ensign struggled to comprehend the confession.

“That’s right. When Rena was a baby, Westa and her late husband found her in the Shingo Forest.”

Claude forced himself to take his seat next to the mayor and regain his composure. Still, the new information left him perplexed.

He nodded to himself and said, “That explains her love for the forest…Go on.”

“Westa couldn’t have any children of her own, so Rena was extra special to her. No one knew where she had come from or whom her parents were. The only clue was the strange pendant that hung around her neck. She wears it every day, I’m sure you’ve noticed.” Claude had. Regis cleared his throat and continued, “It’s so foreign that even _I_ have no idea what the symbols on it mean. She could say her own name, ‘Rena,’ when we found her, so we know that that’s her real name.” Regis looked up at the night sky, as though recalling the memory for himself. “May thirteenth…That’s when Westa and Noa found her under the largest tree in the Shingo Forest. She was a toddler then, no older than two or three, but Westa decided the age and birthday and adopted the child as her own. Despite all of that, Rena grew up to be a daddy’s girl. Noa loved the child just as though she were his own.”

Finding the appropriate thing to say was beyond Claude’s capability at the moment. The story wasn’t just something from a dramatic movie or cliché literature he had to read in high school. Imagining himself in Rena’s shoes was too difficult, and so he asked, “Does Rena know about this?”

Regis’ tone went flat. “No. I thought it too early to tell her, so we’ve waited. Westa and Noa wanted to tell her together, but Noa’s sudden accident changed that.”

“That’s right.” Claude clasped his hands together. “I remember her mother saying something about Rena’s father, but I had no idea that he had died.”

“Yes,” Regis drew the word out into a long exhale. “That time was hard on all of us.” But he said no more on the matter.

Images of Rena in despair made Claude wince in pain on her behalf. The newfound knowledge placed a heavy burden on his heart, as though he were going to be forced to carry a terrible secret. “Why are you telling me this story, Mayor?”

“She may not look it, but Rena’s a lonely child. She knows that she’s different from everyone else, and that’s why she tries to ignore her powers. She’s afraid that people may shun her or cast her out of society.” He stalled long enough to gain Claude’s full attention. “She showed them to _you_ for a reason.”

That thought broke Claude. Tightly closing his eyes he cried out, “Yes, and I…I treated her like a monster. She was my first friend on this planet and instead of shunning me and treating me like some kind of disease, she opened her arms in welcoming. Her and…” his eyes slowly opened, the mayor’s face calm and understanding, “…and all of you…”

“Mr. Kenni…Rena doesn’t hate you. In fact, she looks up to you very much. That’s why I’d like you to take her with you on your journey.”

The request seemed unlikely, but shocked him all the same. He barely managed, “W-What…?”

But Regis appeared quite serious. “Yes. I think that her powers could be very helpful to you and your quest. She also knows this land better than you, so what do you say?”

So many things had fallen on his shoulders from the time he had come to Expel until now. He didn’t know what to say. 

Claude shook his head. “But…the quest will be dangerous. I can’t guarantee her safety.”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine. Give her a little more credit.”

The ensign stood and shoved his hands into his pockets. He stared out into the dark roads before him, then lifted his eyes to the starry sky and two full moons, the rays showered down upon the roof of Rena’s house. Her candle had long since gone out and revealed a black, motionless window.

“I don’t know.”

Regis lifted himself from the stairs. “Please…think it over, Mr. Kenni.”

\/\/\/

Regis bid the ensign goodnight before stepping inside. Claude saw the low glow from the mayor’s second story, a room he felt sure he hadn’t been in before. Perhaps it belonged to Regis’ son, though Claude wondered why the mayor hadn’t spoken of him before. He wondered if Alen resided in there now. Claude lifted the collar on his jacket to ward off the cold and went walking without purpose through the town. Before long, he found himself at the bridge in the center of Arlia. He fumbled with his transmitter, pressing a series of buttons and shouting into it. He banged it repeatedly into his hand, but after several attempts with no new results, he dropped it into his pocket, defeated and ready to cry.

He should’ve listened to his father. He wasn’t a warrior. He didn’t want to find the Sorcery Globe. He should have _never_ touched that device.

How was he supposed to take Rena with him when she hated him?

“Mr. Kenni…”

A voice he had feared he would never hear again broke through his thoughts, and Claude whirled on the bridge to find Rena standing there, holding her hands properly in front of her skirt.

“R-Rena…” he almost choked on the name, but beckoned her forward. He felt happy when she complied.

She perched her elbows on the railing and leaned forward. After a moment, she said, “I apologize for all of this. It’s my fault. If I hadn’t started with telling everyone you were the Warrior of Light, you wouldn’t be on this journey right now and—”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “No, no, no…” he cut her off. “ _I’m_ the one who’s sorry, Rena. You saved my life and I treated you like a monster. You don’t know how horrible I’ve felt all day.” He clutched the railing and peered into the still water below. The moons’ beams reflected off of each small current, twinkling. “It wasn’t the way you treated me when we first met, and I definitely had no right to treat you that way.”

When she didn’t say anything, he feared that he had offended her and turned to search for her gaze. He didn’t have to look far; Rena stared back at him, eyes sparkling, and she gave him a warm smile that he was sure he would never see again.

“Sometimes, I wonder if I’m nothing more than an outsider. Kind of like you, I guess. Maybe I’m from another world, too, and the people there share the same powers as me.” Her smile faded. “There’s something you should know.”

Claude held his breath, uncertain of what she could want to say.

A weight in his pocket moved against him and he remembered that he had something as well. He reached in to pull it out. Rena’s hairpin glowed in the moons’ lights, glittering gold and heavy.

“You see,” she continued, seemingly unaware of what he was looking at. “It’s been nagging at me for a little while now.”

Claude felt surprised to find that the object fit into the palm of his hand perfectly, as though it belonged there. “Yeah? What do you mean?”

Rena was quiet for a long time. Claude brought his attention back to her and she spoke again. “My mother…she’s not my _real_ mother.”

Something inside him cracked. He hadn’t been expecting that confession and had to bite his tongue from revealing that he already knew.

“I…I see…” he choked out.

Her tone remained casual, as though she had been preparing this story all evening. “Seven years ago, right after my father died, I heard my mother and the mayor talking about it. I don’t think they know that I was listening.”

Claude stared out into the waters again, weighing the decision of whether or not to tell her that he had heard the story from Regis. He could console her, even if he couldn’t share her pain. On the other hand, it could make things awkward again.

Rena continued, “I love my mother…but I want to know the _real_ woman who gave birth to me. I…”

His hand lifted to place the crescent-shaped hairpin into her hair. Her breath caught in the base of her throat, eyes wide, and she reached up to finger the contour.

“M-My…My hairpin.” Her eyes met his. “Where did you find it?”

“Rena…” He leaned against the rail and held still. “Are you asking to come on this journey with me?”

The silence returned, and he wondered if his approach hadn’t been too abrupt. It wasn’t like Rena to not answer a question. Her hands dropped to the gold pendant she always wore. Now that Regis mentioned it, he would never be able to look past its meaning, and why Rena most likely wore it. Her eyes locked onto the pendant, as though she and it were holding a secret conversation that Claude couldn’t hear. The ghost of a tiny smile crossed her face, and she shook her head.

“It’s a…very dangerous journey,” her words were low and sobering. “I haven’t been past Clik, and Alen and Mayor Regis are the only ones who have ever taken me outside of Arlia.”

Words failed Claude. He, too, knew how perilous the roads were going to get. Not that he had a lot of street smarts, but he knew that he held more than Rena.

And if she died, what then? It would be his fault. How would he be able to face Westa, Regis, and Alen if anything happened to her?

Claude was torn. And he didn’t like the feeling.

“Good night, Mr. Kenni.” Rena brushed past him, still holding her pendant. “You should get some sleep, too. It’s going to be a long journey ahead for you.”

His eyes trailed after as she crossed the bridge and disappeared into the night. He wanted to call out for her to stay. He wanted help with making a decision. He didn’t know _what_ he wanted.

But she was nowhere to be seen by the time he found his voice, and Rena could no longer hear him. Left alone again, he lowered his gaze into the water and lingered there for a while longer.

\/\/\/

Claude prepared for his journey early the next morning, and only because he spent a second night without any sleep. He clunked downstairs, groggy and with a headache, and made his way to the front room. Alen and Regis were waiting for him, both appearing puzzled at the sight of the dark rings under his eyes. The mayor’s son wore a tan tunic and tan breeches, nothing that Claude would have imagined seeing a well-to-do man dressed in. He felt certain that they did not belong to Alen, and again wondered about Regis’ son. Regardless, he made no mention of his sleep deprivation or fashion observation, and joined them in the dining room.

The mayor welcomed him with breakfast, which Claude could hardly keep his mind on. He had no appetite and managed only a few bites, but remained at the table until the others finished. He announced that he would leave the village right then. Alen and Regis said nothing, but the mayor offered to accompany him to the town gates. Alen bowed and excused himself from the house.

Confusion filled Claude and he wanted to ask Regis if Alen was angry with him. Before the question could form on his tongue, fear shuddered into him, wondering if Alen had caught wind of Claude’s initial treatment toward Rena’s powers. He walked with Regis in silence to the gates.

“I see you’re alone,” the Arlian mayor said once they were halfway. “I assume that that means you’ve decided not to take Rena with you.”

Claude wanted to protest—say that it had been her decision and not his. But he shrugged and looked forward. “Please don’t misunderstand. It would crush me if anything happened to Rena on my watch. She’s been through enough these past few days without me adding more to her grief.”

The frown on Regis’ face suggested that he didn’t agree, but he didn’t argue. Claude wished he would. At the town gates, the ensign stared ahead at the road before him, dreading the journey alone and wishing that Rena would change her mind. He didn’t want to give birth to the hope, but there it was, looking for her in the vicinity, wondering if he had missed her presence. Wondering if he should wait.

Regis extended his hand and Claude lazily took it, his wandering eyes searching for someone who wasn’t there, and wouldn’t come.

“Take care then, Mr. Kenni,” the mayor said. “I wish you the best on your travels.”

The ensign shoved his hands into his pockets and forced the best smile he could. “And thank you for everything, Mayor. I won’t forget your kindness.”

Turning on his heel, he automatically took several steps forward, the mix of loneliness, anxiety, and frustration swirled in his stomach like a whirlwind. He glanced over his shoulder; Regis leaned on his cane, watching him with old, tired eyes. Claude resumed walking, and patted the sheathed blade at his hip before his pace quickened. 

Clicking hooves and heavy creaking directed his eyes back to the mayor. Alen’s carriage rolled to a stop behind Regis, he and Emerson sitting up front, Alen in control of the reins. Oliver, the coachman, was nowhere in sight, but Emerson was dressed like he could be one. Alen also wore new garments—a white and black overcoat, leather gloves, and coal-colored pants. The swaying carriage jolted, and the door flung open. Rena jumped out from within.

“Wait a minute, Mr. Kenni,” she called and dashed through the gates toward him. He noticed her flustered cheeks and heavy breathing, but couldn’t break his gaze from the spark of anger in her eyes.

Her name came as a whisper from the back of his throat, “Rena…”

She cut him off, “I’m going with you and that’s final.”

Relief and shock stunned him. He sputtered, “W…Wha—?” before losing all ability to speak.

“You can’t traverse these lands alone, so I’ll be your guide.” She added a smile. He couldn’t say no to that smile. He didn’t even want to try.

His own smile couldn’t be stopped, even as he said, “Rena, it’s going to be long and dangerous. Are you sure that this is what you want?”

He hoped his warning wouldn’t change her mind. But she showed no signs of waning and said, “I’m not scared. I’m coming with you.” 

The heavy blend of feelings from earlier faded from his body, making him light and enthused. He patted her on the shoulder and said, “Then let’s go. Cross is our first stop.”

Westa shuffled in behind Regis, wiping tears from her face. Regis turned to comfort her, and even Alen showed approval. Arlian villagers gathered to the town’s gates, the children wiping sleep from their eyes while their mothers and fathers waved to Claude and Rena.

From atop the carriage, Alen cleared his throat and said, “I left the mayor’s early this morning to gather everyone here. I thought that they would all want to say their farewells before you departed. And I can take you to Cross myself.”

Claude saw the grand turnout, and wondered if Regis had already talked to the villagers about Alen. Since everything had gone well, he thought he had.

Rena beamed. “Really, Alen?”

“Of course. I have to repay you for saving me. And if it is for you, I would be happy to do anything I can.”

The smile moved to her eyes and she grabbed Claude’s arm and pulled him toward the carriage. “Oh, thank you, Alen.”

“Rena, wait…your mom.” Claude stopped and nudged her.

He gestured to her emotional mother, who used a hand to stifle her wracking and coughs.

Rena shook her head with a smile and said, “Oh, Mom.”

The young girl moved closer. Westa wiped the streaming tears from her cheeks.

“I told myself I wouldn’t cry,” her mother cracked. “I’m sorry.”

Taking her mother into a warm hug, Rena said, “I’ll be back soon, so don’t worry about me, okay?” She pulled back and nodded at Claude, “And I’ve got Mr. Kenni with me, too.”

The thought seemed to have consoled her mother because she offered a series of nods and suppressed her sobs. 

Regis stepped forward and placed his hand on top of Claude’s. “Please take care of Rena, Mr. Kenni.”

Claude set his hand on top of the wizened one. With a tight squeeze, he said, “Don’t worry, I will.” He opened the carriage and waved to the crowd of people. “Goodbye, everyone.”

Cheers reverberated in the area, and it made him feel light. He tried not to blush and pulled his body into the carriage. Rena seated herself across from him, her upper torso hanging out the window to wave to her friends and mother.

“See you later, Mom,” she called out, prompting Claude to laugh lightly.

“You take care of yourself,” Westa said.

Taking the time to relax on the way to Cross, he felt relieved that some things had worked themselves out, even if the journey wasn’t one he had planned.

\/\/\/

“I am sorry to have gotten you here this late,” Alen apologized over and over.

Claude looked into the starry sky, a little disappointed. He had wanted to meet with the king that day. But Alen looked so guilty, he didn’t want to say anything. No one had anticipated having to stop in Salva, but the doctor caught them while passing through and announced that Mr. Bossman had come to.

Ever responsible Alen wanted to clear the air right away and make amends with the Arlian carpenter. That, on the other hand, went as expected.

“He’ll forgive you,” Rena assured, rubbing his back after Bossman’s screams subsided and Alen hastily departed from the room. He appeared as though he would cry if another word had been uttered, but Rena was good in these kinds of situations it seemed. She seated him into a chair, took hold of his hand, and said, “Mr. Bossman is the kindest, most sweetest man there is. Once he understands that you weren’t in control of your actions, he’ll come around. I promise. I’ll put in a good word for you and everything.”

Claude watched on as Alen said nothing, but appeared to hold onto Rena’s every word as he stared into her eyes. After quite a long while, they managed to coerce him into the carriage to continue on to Cross, while Emerson took the reins. Rena convinced him to sit inside and saved a seat next to her. An hour or so into the ride, he seemed to calm down and joined in Claude and Rena’s conversation.

The cold, night air nipped at Claude’s neck, and he pulled up the collar of his jacket

Rena hugged Alen. “Don’t worry. I know where we can stay.”

His downcast eyes harbored shame. “I know, but it just adds another day onto your quest. I am really, _really_ sorry.”

“No, it’s all right,” Claude chimed in. “It was probably a good thing that we stopped in Salva. There’s no need to beat yourself up over it.”

The mayor’s son offered a wry smile before turning to the Arlian girl. “Well, I guess this is where we say goodbye, Rena. I wish you all the best on your journey.” He reached out and gave her another hug.

“I’m glad everything worked out, Alen,” she said into his tunic. “I’ll see you again, soon.”

“Mr. Kenni.” Claude’s full attention fell on the other man, who returned him a stern look. “Rena is one of my longest and dearest friends. I put her life in your hands now. Please take care of her.”

“You can count on me,” he assured, but wasn’t sure he liked Alen’s face. “Have a safe trip back to Salva.” Alen reached out to shake Claude’s hand and gave Rena one last squeeze before climbing atop the carriage with Emerson, who waved at the duo.

“Take care,” Emerson said. He whipped the reins, yelled a command, and was gone a moment later, leaving them to the abandoned streets of Cross.

“There’s nobody around,” Rena observed and took a step toward the square. “And the castle looks locked up, too.”

“Guess that means we won’t be talking to the king until tomorrow.” Claude yawned. “So…now what?”

“Remember? I said that I knew a place where we could stay. Just follow me.” She tugged on his jacket and he followed.

Glowing lanterns hung from poles around what he assumed to be the square. For a kingdom, he had expected someone to be around—a drunk stumbling home from the tavern, or a guard on patrol. But the desolate streets stared back at him, and chills pricked the hair on his neck and arms. Cross didn’t feel like a kingdom he’d recognize in a fantasy novel, but he had never been in one to know the difference. Despite his insecurities, Rena trotted across the cobblestone as though she had done it a hundred times, and he jogged to keep up.

Being under a moonless sky kept him closer to each lantern pole, and he stopped each time to gather his surroundings. Silhouettes of cluttered structures were impossible to discern in the dark, but they loomed high into the sky until it seemed as though it had become one with the night. Rena beckoned him forward, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she knew where she was going, even if she said she did. But there, on the other side of the kingdom square, sat a large structured enclosed by an iron gate. His attention zoomed in on the faint glow dancing in the front window, and he felt relieved when Rena made a beeline for the front door.

The door creaked as she entered, no hesitance or shyness. Claude held himself in the closed doorway and allowed his eyes to wander across the dim lobby. Wood paneling held up each of the four corners, and a gaudy red and gold embroidered carpet blanketed the ground. Although a change of pace from the interior design of common Arlian and Salva homes, he found that he missed the simple décor, and wondered what Cross Kingdom would look like in broad daylight. Rena strolled to the front counter as though she owned the place, and Claude squinted. At first, he did not see anyone there, but the shadow of a woman emerged into a delineated shape, and she glanced up.

He believed her to be in her mid-thirties, with chestnut hair tied up underneath a beige bandanna. Although lithe, she kept her shoulders square and open. The sleeves of her teal dress were rolled up to her forearms, and a cloth rag hung over the lip of her apron pocket. She had a face that made him think twice about ever trying to cross her, but when she saw Rena, she bolted out from behind the counter and grabbed her. 

Her lips parted into a wide smile, the beauty mark on her chin prominent and eye-catching. “Rena,” she said, “you’ve been such a stranger lately. How are you? I never get to see you anymore.”

“I’m sorry about that, Aunt Rachel.” Rena returned the hug with a squeeze and pulled back. “I’m well. And yourself?”

“Busy, busy, busy,” Rachel chuckled and stepped back to give Rena the once-over. “You’re taller for sure. How old are you, now? Twelve? Thirteen?”

Rena sighed and tried to hide her budding cheeks. “I’m seventeen, Aunt Rachel. Remember? My birthday was four months ago.”

The older woman wagged a finger. “I said I couldn’t remember how old you were, not when your birthday was. I remember that just fine. I tried to make it to Arlia to see you, but that weekend was absolutely awful. City knights swarmed all over Cross—I swear I’ve never seen so many. No one was allowed to enter or leave the city. That lasted for a couple of weeks, and then the Sorcery Globe fell. It’s never-ending, I tell you.”

Claude’s lips twisted. “City knights? What was that about?”

Rachel’s eyes trailed to him, as though seeing him for the first time. She flinched and slapped a hand over her mouth. Then it fell away and a smile appeared that caused Rena to jerk with a start. “I see you found yourself a _man,_ Rena, darling. How’s Westa taking it?”

“It—It’s not like that,” she snapped, holding her face in her hands.

A little hurt and caught off-guard by her quick response, Claude turned his head, pretending not to care.

“You didn’t have to shout it like that…” he muttered, but doubted she heard him.

Rachel’s loud laugh reminded him of a hyena and snatched the roster from off the counter. “Well, you’re in luck, Rena, I happen to have a _lovely_ room for the two of you. I’ll even let you stay there tonight on the house as a belated birthday present.”

Rena’s face flashed as crimson as her cape and Claude’s eyes fell to the gold embroidered carpet. He didn’t enjoy the attention Rachel was giving them, primarily due to Rena’s reaction. Though turned down during his junior high and high school years, he had never had a girl react so poorly to the idea of being his girlfriend. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t shaved since coming to Expel. He also hadn’t changed clothes, and maybe he smelled. Perhaps his poor hygiene added to the reason why Jen turned him down. Whatever the reason, he felt compelled to pay for his own room. But before Claude could protest, Rena hunched over the ledger and scrawled something on the paper.

“Are you sure that it’s okay?” Rena mumbled to Rachel, almost too low for Claude.

“Of course it’s okay. Nothing but the best for my niece on her _special_ night.”

Rena dropped the roster to the floor and Claude’s head perked up at the crash. She slammed her hands on the counter and shouted, “I told you already that it’s not like that at all. I swear.”

Not so much embarrassed by her tantrum, but by what she was saying, the ensign turned his back to her and crossed his arms. “Not at _all,_ huh?” he muttered.

It had to be true, then. Jen turned him down in part due to his hygiene and the other part being that he wasn’t Connor O’Riley, dashing shortstop on his team.

Rachel laughed, Rena argued, and Claude didn’t much care for what was being said about him. He also wondered how the other patrons were reacting to the ladies’ outburst and if it had startled anyone awake. If so, no one ever came out to check.

Rachel picked up two lit lanterns from behind the counter and passed one off to him. Rena’s roars dwindled to angry chatter, but even that died after a bit and they walked the hall until Rachel’s voice picked up again.

She glanced sideways at Rena. “Come to think of it, Dias was here just a few weeks ago.”

Rena stopped walking. “Really? Dias was here?”

Claude rolled his lips together. He knew that he had heard that name before.

“He was. But he left right away, unfortunately. I tried to convince him to stop in Arlia to see you, but the idea didn’t tickle him the way I hoped that it would. I’m not sure where he went after leaving Cross, or even why he came. It doesn’t seem like he ever has a particular destination in mind, does it?”

A darkness covered Rena’s face and she slowly continued forward. “No, he doesn’t.”

“Well…” Rachel waited for the Arlian girl to catch up before bumping shoulders with her toward Claude. “Make yourselves comfy…”

“I already _said—_ ”

“Thank you for the room.” Claude nudged Rena inside the room and blocked the doorway. He produced a wide, fake grin and tried to shuffle his way inside.

Rachel laughed and took his hand before he could make it very far. “You’re most welcome.” Then she leaned forward and whispered, “Take good care of Rena for me, all right?”

He couldn’t help but stare at his captured hand, her thumb pressed against the place between his thumb and forefinger. “Always,” he said.

Her eyes lingered on him before leaving them to their room. Claude shut the door with too much force and spun on his heel. He lifted the lantern high into the room and laughed when, despite her antagonizing, Rachel had given them a room with two beds after all. The boxy shape was nothing unusual compared with the hotels he had stayed in on earth, and two or three landscape pictures donned the white walls. A small, brown door on the other side of the beds caught his eye and he wondered if the bathroom was any bigger. 

He set the lantern down and turned to the Arlian girl. The blemish of red tint still hung on Rena’s cheeks, so he decided to change the subject.

“So…” He sat on the edge of the bed closest to the front door. “Your aunt?”

Rena flopped on the other bed and rolled onto her stomach. “She’s my mom’s younger sister,” she said into the blankets. She tilted her head and her blue hair spilled over her face, causing Claude to smile. “She moved out of Arlia a few years ago to open up this inn. Although she’s done quite well for herself, I’m not sure if my mother’s really forgiven her for moving away and leaving her alone.”

Claude found that he was about to ask about Rena’s father, but stopped himself and instead said, “Well, your mom has Regis and the other villagers. Which reminds me, who is the Dias person she spoke of?”

She paused and shifted onto her back, arms and legs sprawled from corner to corner of the bed. Eyes to the ceiling, she said, “Dias Flac. He’s a childhood friend of mine from Arlia.”

“I see.” He leaned forward and tugged at his boots. “From the way she made it sound, he doesn’t live there anymore.”

“He doesn’t. Something horrible happened to him a long time ago, and because of that, he left the village.”

“Oh…” He stiffened. “Well then, I won’t pry.”

“Thanks.”

He resumed unfastening his boots and dropped them at the foot of the bed. He pulled the bandana from his head next. “Say, do you mind if I ask you for one thing?”

“Hmm? What’s that?”

He paused long enough to stare at her recumbent form. Her chest lifted and descended with each breath, the glitter from her pendant shining against the lantern’s light. Her attention held fastened on the ceiling. 

He said, “I noticed that you’ve never used my first name since we’ve met. Could you _not_ call me, ‘Mr. Kenni?’ The formality is a little uncomfortable, especially since I just call you ‘Rena.’”

She nodded and kicked off her shoes where she lay. “All right,” she said and slipped under the blankets. “I’ll remember that from now on.”

He set the lantern on the table next to his bed. “Thanks. In any case, sleep sounds good. It’s late and we have to be up early tomorrow.” He shrugged out of his jacket and hung it from the bedpost. Then, gauging that the room was too warm, he pulled the tank top up over his head. The cold hit his bare chest and he smiled. When he looked up, he felt the sudden urge to cover himself under Rena’s intense stare.

His, “What?” came out a little too strongly.

Even through the lantern light, he could see her tinged cheeks. As though being shaken from some kind of dream, Rena jolted and disappeared under the blankets. “Ahhh…It’s nothing.” She rolled over so that her back faced him. “Good night.”

Claude stared at her and pressed his lips together. He thought that her having so many male friends would make her less rigid around him, but it appeared to be untrue.

He hoped that the awkwardness would fade in time, but felt happy that she had come with him after all. It would make the trip more bearable instead of having to endure it like a shot in the dark. Although Expel had relatable concepts that he had studied in school and read about in fantasy novels, experiencing them came as a culture shock like none he had ever known. And now that his phase gun no longer worked, he would have to learn the complete art of swordplay. He wondered if he could become adept at such a thing. 

He blew out the lantern and climbed into bed. The blankets were thin, but soft, and something he could snuggle into. He lay there for a moment, expecting a full night of sleep after two restless ones, until something hard pressed into his backside. His mind reeled and remembered the music player in his pants pocket.

He yanked out the rectangular device and slid in the ear buds. The small area around him illuminated with the system’s logo, and he felt at home for just a moment. The playlist appeared and he pressed two clicks with the buttons before tucking it under the covers. A soft buzz filled his ears and a slow, Celtic song came through the small speakers. His eyes fluttered closed, lost in the moment, and waited to fall asleep to the hymn of the music.

His anticipation was cut short when a tap came to his shoulder. His eyes opened and a shadow loomed over him.

“Yes?” he asked.

“What’s that noise?” he thought he heard Rena ask, but wasn’t sure over the music. He tugged on one of the ear buds.

“Come again?”

“That noise. I heard a soft noise coming from your side. What is it?”

Claude sat up and motioned for her to come closer. Rena bent down, though he couldn’t see her face, and handed her the ear bud. “Put this in your ear.”

“What?”

“Trust me. You’ll like it.”

She paused a moment longer before her lingering hand took the ear bud and placed it against her ear. Claude restarted the song and stared at the silhouette of her face, wondering what her reaction to the music would be.

He didn’t have to wait long before she said, “This is beautiful. But…how can you listen to instruments without the band being in front of you? Is it…Urth stuff?”

“ _Earth,_ and yes. It’s their technology.” Bringing the small device up from under the covers, he pushed a button that made the area around him and Rena brighten. He could see the awe in her face. Pleased that he could introduce her to something that caught her interest, he pushed the buttons to scroll up and down his playlist. “This little device holds all kinds of music. And I can change it, too.” He pushed a button and the song changed. He watched the smile widen on her face.

“Wow…” she breathed. “This is amazing…”

He changed the song again. “Yeah, it’s pretty cool. I often use it when I'm stressed out or bored. Music helps calm me down.”

“I like music, too.” She removed the ear bud and handed it to Claude. “But…there’s really never any troubadours in Arlia. I would like to see some more often.”

He took the ear bud and held it in his hands. “I’ll be glad to let you use it sometime. There’s some stuff on here that I’m sure you would really like.”

Rena padded back toward her bed and said, “I’d like that. Thank you, Claude.”

Placing the ear bud into his ear, Claude smiled and replied, “Goodnight Rena.”

\/\/\/

Claude jolted awoke sometime later in the night to loud drums and bass from his music player. He tore out the ear buds and sat up in bed.

“Guess I fell asleep,” he mumbled and pulled the music player out from under the covers to turn it off. He set it on the dresser and glanced over to Rena.

The moons’ beams poured into the room, streaming across her vacant bed. The covers were in a tumble, and her pillow askew, but there was no trace of her.

“Rena?” he called out. There was no reply. He rolled the covers back and the warmth left his body.

He stood, despite his protesting muscles, and heard his kneecaps pop. He cursed the reality of getting older and stepped forward, his toes tingling. He suspected she might be in the bathroom, but the door hung open and still.

“Did she go outside?” He mumbled and staggered to the door, still half asleep.

The narrow hallway felt colder than the room, and it dawned on him that he was barefoot and bare chested in just his pants. He hoped he wouldn’t come to regret the choice of not putting on something more decent. Padding down the hall, he ran through a mental list of possible places Rena could be. His list came up short when he realized that he had no idea what landmarks were even in Cross besides the hotel and the castle.

A small luminance caught his attention at the end of the hall. Its shadow flickered and danced on the wall behind the light, and he stalled.

The open flame meant that someone was awake, and he hoped that someone was Rachel. If that were true, she would know where Rena went—he assumed, anyway. The light grew brighter as he approached the end of the hallway and turned to face the desk, several lit candles melting into a candelabra.

From behind the desk, Rachel flipped through a book that Claude couldn’t see the title of.

“Excuse me,” he whispered, not wanting to alarm her.

His attempt failed when she dropped the book and jumped in her chair. She glanced up, mouth ajar, and stared at him as though he were some kind of assailant.

“Oh,” he waved, “it’s just me. You know, the guy who came in with Rena.”

He waited for her to comprehend his words and a smile cracked at her face when she caught sight of his bare chest. He crossed his arms and turned slightly to the side.

“Ah…You’re Rena’s little boyfriend. What can I do for you?”

He wanted to protest at the ‘boyfriend’ comment, but he wanted a shirt more. He had a good idea of what she was thinking he and Rena had been doing, and he wanted the conversation to go more in the direction of Rena’s whereabouts rather than their relationship status.

“Have you seen Rena come this way?” he asked.

Rachel paused for only a moment before standing and walking out from behind the counter. “I _did_ see her come by here. She said she couldn’t sleep and was looking for our bathtub.”

“Bathtub?” Claude was about to ask why the tub was separate from the bathroom when he remembered that he was engaged in a more primitive lifestyle. Even the bathroom used some kind of fancy chamber pot that still had semi-plumbing. He couldn’t explain it, but knew that it was more than primitive for a primitive setting like Expel. He rattled his brain for a moment about what this ‘bathtub’ could be.

“Yes,” she said. “It’s out back behind the inn. Since it’s pretty late at night, I assured her that no one would be around to catch her bathing.” However, from the look on Rachel’s face, she didn’t seem to mind showing Claude exactly _where_ this little bathtub was. She led the ensign out back, and waved him closer. “ _Buuuuuut…_ I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I showed her little boyfriend where she was…”

He halted and pivoted for the lobby. “That’s all right, I don’t exactly have to—”

She seized his hand and tugged him alongside the building. “Nonsense. She’d like your company.” He doubted that. “And it’s a beautiful starry night. You should enjoy it with her. Hey, the tub’s big enough for two, after all.”

Claude’s face burned with heat by the time she finished and he hung his head in embarrassment. He knew _exactly_ how Rena would react to this.

“Ah, here we go.” Rachel shoved Claude forward into an open area behind the inn that was nestled between several shops and a restaurant—at least, the sign indicated that it was a restaurant. Indeed, he could hear running water from within the distance. He gulped, endless possibilities streaming through his head of potential ways the situation could play out, all resulting in his untimely demise. “Now, be nice to her,” Rachel said and winked. He protested, but she left him alone, giggling.

Awkwardness held him in place, the sound of running water in the background. When he turned his head, he could make out a large wooden tub with a moving figure splashing around inside of it.

“Woah…” he leaned closer. “Is that…Rena?”

He watched the Arlian girl tamper with the spigot latched onto the side of the tub, running her hair underneath the rushing water. He agreed that the shower looked very comfortable, but there was no way he’d climb into the tub with a naked Rena.

Still, he walked a little closer, mesmerized by her figure, creamy skin covered in suds. Her wet blue hair clung to her face as she splashed water on the underside of her arm. He continued to watch, her back to him as she ran her hands through her hair, scrubbing with soap pouring out from her locks. He held his breath as he witnessed the soft crease in her back where her vertebrae was. The rest of her body was submerged in the water, stirring gently as she continued to bathe. Rena’s shoulder blades moved in rhythm to her arms, which were still tangled in her hair.

He didn’t quite realize that he was moving forward, his eyes captivated by the sight. Rena appeared unsuspecting, fingers raking across her scalp. She shook her head fiercely, water spraying from the ends of her hair. She shifted her body slightly, and Claude caught a glimpse of the backside of her right breast.

Cheeks growing warm and body tensing, he couldn’t stop the gasp that signaled the end of his peep show. Rena turned on cue, spotted the intruder, and sunk her body into the water. Water rushed up on all sides of the tub, overflowing, and splashed onto the ground.

“ _Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!_ ” 

The sharp cry nearly rendered Claude deaf. His mesmerized self sobered, and he realized that he was going to die or be in a great deal of hurt very, very soon. 

Rena’s glare found him. “ _Pervert!_ ”

“No, wait!” He backed toward the inn, all the while of attempting to shush her screaming. “Rena, you don’t understand. You weren’t in the room so I went looking for you. I didn’t mean to walk in—”

She threw herself against the backside of the tub and reached for something. When Rena spun around, she hurled a big, black object at Claude and hit him squarely in his bare chest. It hurt for the moment, but he found himself more surprised than injured. He looked down just as it ricocheted to the ground.

He recognized the lone shoe.

He glanced up just in enough time to be hit with the other shoe, this time against the left side of his face. His world lit up with stars for a brief moment, and he held his face in his hand, grimacing.

“ _Get out of here! Get out of here!_ ”

“Right, right.” He pivoted and fled the scene of the crime. “I’m leaving.”

Rena’s screams echoed in the distance long after he rounded the side of the hotel, a chill rushing through his body. He wasn’t sure if it was from seeing the young girl naked or from having been caught. Either way, he hoped that this scenario would never be mentioned again.

Ever.

“This is all Rachel’s fault,” he grumbled and stopped by the entrance of the hotel, not wanting to see Rena’s mischievous aunt right then. She would see the budding bruises on his face and chest and either laugh or beat the living hell out of him. “She knew that this was going to happen. After all, she knows how Rena is.”

Squatting down next to the door, he took time to catch his breath, and couldn’t help but rethink on his actions and what had led up to him being caught.

A Cheshire grin broke at his lips.

Jen was cute and tall, with a tomboy’s frame. But Rena…

He allowed the image of her bathing body to run uncensored through his mind. “She has a very attractive frame nonetheless.”


	6. Celine Jules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wait to have an audience with the King of Cross is almost unbearable, but Claude passes his time around the kingdom, comparing the primitive world to his own. Still, he can't shake his uneasiness. Will the king help them on their quest to investigate the Sorcery Globe? And who is this Heraldic Arts sorceress who claims to have a map that may also lead him to the answers he seeks?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Wish I owned Star Ocean. Alas.
> 
> Yet, another chapter with expanded history and backstories, such as Jeremias, Noa, and Mayor Regis' relationship with them both. And then, we're off to Cross Cave.

**\/\/\/**

**An Ocean of Mirrors**

**Chapter Six**

**Celine Jules**

**\/\/\/**

“So, how was it?” Aunt Rachel wasted no time cracking jokes when the two came into the main hall the next morning. She leaned over the counter, a devious smile on her face.

Rena’s face went red and she stammered, “N-Nothing happened.”

Claude found himself in equally the same state of denial and swore to never to speak of what he had seen the night before to anyone for fear of his safety. He looked away to avoid any and all questions, and tried to appear busy or lost in thought.

“All right, all right,” Rachel laughed. “Keep your panties on, Rena. Oh…I mean…” She burst out laughing again, holding her sides.

Rena huffed and turned on her heel to storm outside. Claude walked up to the counter.

“Thank you for everything,” he said. “The stay was wonderful.”

“I’m sure it was.” She playfully swatted Claude on the arm, prompting him to turn as red as Rena had. “You take care of my little niece now, you hear? Don’t go breaking her heart.”

Her words left him confused and he was unsure if making any more comments was appropriate. After all, it wasn’t like he had been able to sleep much that night, and Rena wandered into the room shortly after the peep show. He wondered if she had been able to sleep, either. They spoke very little to each other that morning, and, he wasn’t sure about her, but he tried to make as little eye contact as possible. Even now, things felt very, very awkward. 

Rachel beamed and continued, “If you do, you’ll have to answer to me and my sister. Now then. Go on after her. And take care.”

He tossed a glance over his shoulder and took his time leaving, contemplating about saying anything at all. Words failed him, and he closed the door in silence. Outside, Rena paced, grumbling to herself and visibly agitated.

“She can be _soooo_ annoying,” she complained.

Claude chuckled as his thoughts rolled back to the previous night and the little prank Rachel had set him up for. He wondered if she had always been that way, even during her years in Arlia. But, rather than comment further on the awkward situation, he thought it best to put it behind him and hoped Rena would, too.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go meet with the king.”

\/\/\/

“We would like to have an audience with the king,” Rena announced as soon as they arrived inside of the castle. Taken aback by its splendor, Claude craned his head to see the top of the ceiling, which went on for, what seemed like, forever.

Maids and butlers rushed by, some coming up different sets of stairs and others descending them. He had difficulty imagining living in such luxury, being waited upon, hand and foot. They weren’t permitted to wander around the castle, which disappointed him. He had wanted to experience the vastness of the grand halls, and meet the royalty if he could. With that notion in mind, he found himself anxious to meet the king.

Cars and electronics were his era and time, and something that could be taken for granted because he never had to do without. He longed for them now, but saw the excitement within the prospect of something different. Monarchies existed on Expel, but his country answered to a president and government. Never had he everthought that he would meet a real king, considering that times of monarchy, with only a couple of exceptions, had come to an end long ago.

The receptionist’s finger trailed down a sheet in front of him. “There are those ahead of you. Can you come back in about an hour?”

Her mouth twisted. “Oh, okay.”

Claude suppressed the temptation to grab the marble pillars and rub his hand along the velvet rugs. Mesmerized by such riches and beauty, he was roughly brought back into reality when Rena took him by the arm. She jerked her thumb to the castle gates and he followed.

“We’re in. Let’s come back in an hour.”

“All right,” he said. “Where do you want to go?”

“I want to visit the cathedral here and send off a prayer. How about we meet back up later?”

Claude felt uncomfortable at the idea of wandering around by himself, but Rena seemed to have her heart set on going to the cathedral. He was going to ask if she wanted company, but the look in her eyes made him think twice. 

“Okay,” he finally said.

“Thank you.” She walked past him. “See you later, Claude.” She made her way down the drawbridge and disappeared out of his sight moments later.

Claude padded down the cobblestone road, squeezing through crowds of people and dodging rambunctious children. Now able to see it for the first time in daylight, Cross’ atmosphere resonated very differently than from Arlia. People busied the streets, guards patrolled the kingdom corners, and merchants and traders lined the square. Claude stopped to watch a street performer on a stringed instrument that took on a lute’s shape, but stood taller than the one strumming. Rachel’s inn was surrounded by various shops, a guild, and residential buildings. Fine dining could be found at every corner, making the ensign realize that he had had little to eat that morning, save for the bread and cookies Rena packed in Arlia. Although noisy, he found it to be a bit comforting. The air smelled fresh, and the people were friendly, unlike the traffic and smog in his hometown. For a kingdom, it had all of the perks of a clean, primitive metropolis, including foliage, which looked better than the artificial trees back on earth.

He wandered in and out of each shop, amazed to see that the weapon shop actually sold battle-ready swords and axes, rather than replicas. He wasn’t surprised not to see any guns; it really was a primitive world, after all.

Still, there were quite a few things that were the same on earth as well, even if the name had changed, but a lot hadn’t, which left him curious. He recognized most of the foods, and a steak was still called a ‘steak.’ Along with the gourmet restaurants, food vendors were lined up and down the streets, and he passed a tea shop and bakery at the far end of town. Time permitting, he wanted to go there later.

One shop caught his attention as soon as he turned the corner.

The jewelry vendor hustled in potential customers with sales pitches that intrigued Claude. Several people lined up in front of the booth, hovering over cases of displayed jewelry, pendants, and other goods. He had always admired stones—especially in geology class. When a corner of the booth opened up, he quickly occupied it and peered into the case below. A beautiful variety of stones decorated the crate, and he scrutinized them each very carefully.

One caught his eye in particular, and he leaned in to see it. The stone was a sparkling, emerald, leaf-shaped pendant. He found it quite attractive, and one of the most pure forms of emerald he had ever seen. He recalled the enlightening conversation that he and Westa had had about stones the first night he arrived—before things got weird and she called him ‘the Warrior.’ She had gone on and on about birthstones after Claude told her that his and his mother’s was garnet. His father’s was opal and Jen’s was ruby. Westa confessed that hers was topaz, Regis’ was amethyst, her husband’s had been aquamarine, and Rena’s was emerald. Emerald for May, when Regis had said Westa and Noa found Rena in the Shingo Forest.

He wondered if Rena would like the pendant.

Claude tapped the glass with his finger and said, “Excuse me, I’d like to buy this, please.”

The vendor peered over the crate and reached in. “This emerald pendant?”

“Yeah.” Claude fished out his wallet from his back pocket and flipped through his cash with the tip of his thumb.

“That’ll be two-hundred FOL.”

He stopped mid action, the word “FOL” resounding in his ears.

“Uh…” Claude was never good at haggling, but he had to try for this one, lest he look stupid and fail to buy Rena something. “FOL?”

The vendor arched an eyebrow and withdrew his arm, setting the pendant back in place. “Look, kid. You’re not the first one to try that trick, so don’t even bother.”

“No, I…” Sighing, he dumped the contents of his wallet into the palm of his other hand, and held it out for the vendor to see. “This is all I got.”

Just as he expected, the vendor gave him a cross look and pointed to the crumpled bills and coins. “And just what exactly are these?”

Claude’s fingers twitched as they closed in on the bills. “Uh…money…”

The vendor’s eyes squinted as he recited, “Mun-nee?”

“That’s right. It’s like FOL.” Claude set the money on top of the glass.

The vendor hesitated, and stared closely at the bills before picking through each one with his fingers. “I’ve never seen these before…”

“I don’t have any FOL,” Claude confessed. “Can we trade for it?”

The vendor crossed his arms, obviously offended. “You couldn’t trade enough to me for that.”

“Come on, I need that pendant. It’s for a friend.”

“More like _girl_ friend. I’m not falling for it.”

Claude sighed and placed a defeated hand on top of the bills. “Please, sir. Please work with me, here. I don’t want to cheat you…” When it became apparent that the unyielding vendor would not work with him, Claude pulled the money into his fist, ready to scoop them back into his wallet.

“Wait, kid.”

Claude looked up. “Pardon me?”

“Let me see those strange parchments.” Claude released them over and the vendor sorted through the coins and then the bills. “Okay…I’ll give you fifty FOL for the whole lot.”

“What?” Claude could feel the irritation coming on. The crumpled wad of bills and coins he had given to the vendor were worth closer to three-hundred dollars, not fifty FOL.

“That’s right. Fifty FOL. Take it or leave it.”

The ensign ground his teeth and knew better than to say, “…Fine…” but he did.

Claude looked all over his body for something to make up the monetary difference. He couldn’t trade the sword Regis had given him—he would be left defenseless. He could trade his music player, but he really didn’t want to. His transmitter was absolutely out of the question.

“Seems like you’re still short,” the vendor announced, as though Claude hadn’t already known. 

“I know, I know.” He sighed. “I don’t have anything else.”

“Pity.”

Shooting him a glare that went unnoticed, Claude felt the urge to argue against the worth of the money, but thought better of it. No matter how much he protested, the vendor wouldn’t understand the value of his currency. To him, it was about as valuable as toilet paper. 

“Well…” the vendor finally spoke up, “what else you got?”

Claude patted his back pockets. His hand moved along the holster and the useless weapon inside of it.

“My father’s phase gun…” he mumbled.

“What’s that?”

Pulling the weapon from the holster, Claude looked it over, feeling a sense of betrayal within him for even considering to part with it. But the gift hadn’t been bestowed upon him out of love. His father hadn’t believed him capable of taking care of himself. And, seeing the ensign’s current situation, perhaps his father had been right.

The gun was busted now. And with the technology on Expel, there wasn’t any way the phase gun would get to working again. Outside of having a memory attached, the gun was virtually worthless.

“Let me see that.” The vendor snatched it from him and held it to his face until it almost touched his nose. “What in Tria’s name is this?”

“It’s an antique,” Claude lied with a straight face. “Pretty rare I’d say.”

The vendor turned it over and over again in his hands. “No kidding…” He beamed like a little child with a new toy. With how interested he was in the weapon, Claude was certain he could convince him to trade the pendant for it.

But it was his father’s gun…

“Trade it to me,” the vendor said. “Trade it to me and I’ll give you the pendant.”

Besides…the pendant was for Rena…It was supposed to represent the apology for what had happened in the Salva Mines. Claude hadn’t exactly felt like he earned her forgiveness, yet. And then there was the bath incident the night before…

In light of all the screw ups, he wondered if he could make it up with a gift like the emerald pendent. She was here now, after all. His father, on the other hand…

“C’mon kid, I’m _begging_ you here.” The vendor held the gun close to his chest. Claude knew that if he asked for it back, the vendor would be crushed.

He couldn’t wait to give the pendant to Rena.

\/\/\/

Claude barged in through the heavy church doors, and darted down the aisle. “Rena…Hey, Rena.” 

“Shhhh…” Rena whispered from her place before the altar. She was on her knees, fingers interlocked in prayer.

“Oh, sorry.” He stopped behind a pew and waited for her to finish. Looking around, he realized that the church in Cross stood much taller than in Arlia. There were many more rows of pews and pillars. The archway glittered from designs and tiny pictures interlaced with gold, and sunlight streamed across the walls from the windows. And, as expected, Rena knelt facing a stained glass window of the Warrior of Light. Different posed statues lined the walls, some with delicate features and others with chiseled chins and stern eyes.

It surprised him that only he and Rena were in the church at the moment, but he liked it that way. Then, he could give Rena the gift without anyone watching and making the wrong assumption.

Like Aunt Rachel.

He chuckled at the thought.

Rena finished a minute or two later and broke her fingers’ entanglement. She stood and brushed off her knees before turning to him. “This is a gorgeous church, don’t you think, Claude?”

His eyes wandered to the statues. “Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing.”

“I was praying for a safe journey,” she confessed. 

“Were you praying to the Warrior?”

Her eyes widened and then quickly relaxed. “No.” She laughed. “I was praying to Tria, the gods of creation. See all of the statues in here? That’s Tria.”

He remembered the jewelry vendor speaking the same name. “Tria is plural?”

She blinked and glanced in the direction of one set of statues. “Tria is Tria.” She looked back at him and smiled. “Did you see the archway? Stories depicted of all of Tria’s blessings are transcribed through picture stories up there.” She moved to stand under the archway and pointed a long, thin finger to the far right. “That’s when Tria gave us fire. And this one here is when Tria brought us our very first animal to eat. I think it was a cow.” She giggled and faced him. “Anyway, I hope our meeting with the king will be a good one.”

“Yeah, me too.” Claude fished the necklace from out of his pocket, careful not to tangle the silver chain in the process.

Rena didn’t seem to be paying attention. Her eyes returned to the pictures on the archway and she turned in a half circle as she studied them. “I’d love to be married in a church like this someday. What about you, Claude?”

“I’d like that someday, too,” he absentmindedly said while fumbling with the chain. Despite his efforts, it became tangled after all.

“Yeah…someday…” Rena looked almost wistfully at the altar before her. “I wonder whom I’ll marry…”

Grinning, Claude held the untangled necklace up with one hand and poked Rena on the shoulder with the other. “Hey, Rena, turn your back to me for a second.”

“Hmm…what?”

He took her by the shoulders and turned her body. She gasped and resisted at first, but moved with his hands, and held still. Draping the necklace over her chest, he adjusted the latch and clipped it from the back. He had a little bit of trouble, never having put a necklace on a girl before, but it wasn’t enough to spoil the moment. In his mind, he had always believed that Jen would have been the first girl he had given a necklace to, but circumstances had chosen Rena and he found that he was okay with that.

“There you go.” He stepped back and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I hope you like it.”

Rena looked down at her chest, fumbling with what had just been placed there. She picked up the small pendant, eyes wide. “Claude, this is…”

“Emerald’s your birthstone, right Rena? Your mother told me.”

“My mother…?” Whirling around, she stared him in the eyes, still clutching the necklace with one hand. “I can’t believe you remembered that…”

“Of course I remembered. We’re friends, right? I wanted to get something for you as thanks for coming with me…” his voice dropped to a low, dull murmur, “and as an apology for what happened yesterday.”

“But…but…” Her eyes fell to the stone again. “It must’ve cost you a fortune. How in Tria’s name did you get it?”

He gave a halfhearted laugh, thinking back to the trouble he had endured in order to get the pendant. 

“It wasn’t so bad,” he lied. “Don’t worry about it.”

She clutched the pendant in between her fingers. “No, no, I have to, Claude. I’ll get you something for your birthday.”

He smiled, but knew that he probably wouldn’t be around long enough for that promise to be fulfilled. It was mid-September back on earth, and he didn’t know if the Expellians calculated the months in the same way. Well, maybe they did if they knew birthstones, but January’s birthstone could be different than the one back home. For all he knew, he could be a ruby on Expel instead of a garnet. 

Letting it roll off his back, he said, “Well, I’m glad you like it.”

“I _love_ it,” she corrected. “I’ll keep it with me, always.”

“Anyway,” he changed the subject. “I think it’s about time for us to be getting back to the castle, right? Let’s go.”

She nudged him on the way out, giggling.

\/\/\/

“Pardon me,” a man with long blonde hair and a white duster bumped shoulders with Claude, and continued down the street.

Stepping back, the ensign successfully hid his surprise of a man with three eyes. “S-Sorry…” he mumbled, attention fixated on the other man’s face.

But before he could say anything more, the man disappeared in a brusque walk down the road. Claude spun to the Arlian girl and hissed, “Did you see that, Rena?”

“See what?” she asked. “Come on, we’re going to be late for our appointment with the king.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the castle.

“That man had _three eyes,_ ” Claude exclaimed, though allowed himself to be tugged along. “Do people on Expel exist with three eyes?”

He had found it strange with Rena’s powers until Regis told him that they were unique to her. He didn’t want to make that same mistake again, especially since Rena’s pointed ears were different than anyone else he had seen on Expel. Rather than make a fool of himself again, he decided to keep to observations when possible.

“What?” Rena didn’t slow down. “It might’ve been a Heraldic marking on his body.”

Claude stopped in his tracks. He didn’t think he would hear that word in a place like this. “Heraldic…what?”

“It’s magic,” she explained, moving into the castle. “Sometimes, the Heraldic users will tattoo themselves or place markings on their bodies to enhance spells.”

Claude knew that, or at least the science of it. But to hear that word here of all planets…

Their conversation was interrupted by the receptionist at the front desk.

“Miss Rena? Your turn is coming up. Please wait at the top of the stairs.”

“Oh…” She fidgeted. “I’m so nervous…” she turned to Claude. “Let’s go meet the king, all right?”

He, too, felt queasy.

\/\/\/

Claude felt certain that his knees were going to buckle from all of the nervousness. The couple before them finished their business and left, smiles painted on their faces. Claude tried to steal a glance from Rena, but she seemed in much better spirits than he upon seeing King Cross.

She curtseyed, which threw him off, and he gave a sloppy bow.

“It is an honor, Your Majesty,” she began, her tone suddenly formal and serious.

The king, as elegant as Claude had expected, peered forward. His smile peeked out from a bushy beard and mustache, all lost of its original color. A lock of his long silver hair fell across his chest. The crown encircling his head glittered with colorful jewels, and his body seemed to halo with light reflecting from the windows behind him. Guards held their posts beside him and at each corner of the room.

“Ah, Rena.” He smiled with realization. “It’s been quite a while. You’ve grown even more beautiful than what Alen has told me. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“I’m glad to see that you’re in good spirits, Sire,” she laughed.

“Please, Rena. There’s no need to be formal with me. Tell me, has Regis been well? It’s been quite some time since I’ve last seen him. Not since Jeremias’ funeral, I believe.”

Claude caught a grimace flash across her face. She nodded and managed, “He is.”

“And is he still as stubborn?”

This prompted a laugh from Rena. “He sure is.”

The king relaxed into his throne. “So tell me, what can I do for you today?”

“Well…” She took a deep breath and rushed, “We’re currently investigating the Sorcery Globe that has invaded El Continent. We were wondering if you could help us by offering any information on the Globe and its properties that you may currently have.”

Claude watched the reaction on the king’s face. He had expected it to be dire, but not so much that His Majesty nearly fell from his throne.

“W-What? Did you just say, ‘Sorcery Globe?’”

Somehow, Rena kept her composure. “Yes, and we’re treating it as a serious matter, Sire, just as it deserves to be.”

The king appeared reluctant to let the issue go and Claude couldn’t blame him. Deep down, he felt troubled, too. He knew the Sorcery Globe was a grave matter, but the king’s face made him hesitant to hear the bad news. His Majesty settled back on his throne, his smile gone. 

“I understand. In that case, I will tell you all that I know.” Clearing his throat, he began, “I’m sure you know all about the cataclysms and the strange activities, like earthquakes and floods that have been happening all over the world, yes?” At their nods, the king continued, “There is the possibility that the Sorcery Globe is behind it, but we lack the proof to justify that.”

“But what does your heart tell its Majesty?” Rena asked.

His eyes fell and his fingers rubbed the finish on the throne. “…I honestly don’t know.”

“And the condition of El Continent?” Claude piped up, though he hadn’t meant to. Still, he added, “What about that?”

The king gave him a puzzled look, one that Claude felt uncomfortable being under.

Rena seemed to have noticed, because she asked, “Is something the matter, Your Majesty?”

The color drained from the king’s face, and the ends of his mustache twitched. He rubbed it with his finger and thumb, and slowly asked, “Rena, who is this young man?”

Rena and Claude made eye contact, each mirroring a quizzical face that neither could understand. In that moment, he knew he should have changed clothes to fit in with the public.

“This is Claude C. Kenni, Your Majesty,” Rena said. “He’s traveled with me from Arlia.”

But the skepticism did not die on the king’s face. He turned his head away and said, “Is that so? Please excuse me, you resemble someone I know.” Then he cleared his throat. “I’ve heard that the Continent of El is under massive attack at the moment. There are no records of the number of casualties or the current state of the battle. I’ve sent out several representatives to El, but none have ever returned.”

Claude fell silent at the response, realizing then where it was that they were exactly going.

“Are there any ships that can take us to El Continent at present?” Rena continued.

“There are, but they have been strictly regulated.” The king gave a sad smile, “I won’t lie, Rena. The Sorcery Globe is a complete and utter mystery to us. And since none of my investigators have returned, it’s simply put that the machinations of the Sorcery Globe are beyond our understanding. We don’t even have a trace of information about it.”

Rena lowered her eyes, “I see…”

“For that case, I’ve requested that adventurers come from all over to help us with this matter.”

“So that’s why there are so many people in town…” Claude whispered to himself.

The king sighed and his hand returned to his lap. “If it were up to me, Rena, I would tell you to go back home. I’m sure you already know how dangerous the Sorcery Globe is.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, but I’ll be all right. And besides…” she tugged on Claude’s arm and he stumbled toward her. “I have Mr. Kenni with me.”

The king chuckled and shook his head. “So you have _that_ much faith in him?”

“I do.”

Claude listened and watched the sincerity in her voice and eyes. It made him feel warm to hear her say that and lessen his anxiety over the current situation.

“In that case…I will prepare something for you.” The king turned to the guard beside him and whispered something in his ear. Nodding, the guard moved into the next room and came back a moment later.

He presented a piece of paper and pouch to Rena, who took it without question. “This is a passport from his Majesty, as well as a small parting gift.” Claude took the passport while Rena held the pouch.

She peeked inside and shrieked. Looking to the king, she exclaimed, “Your Majesty, this is _far_ too much.”

He waved his hand at her, and tried to keep a straight face, but Claude saw the trace of laughter in his eyes. “Of course not. It’s a perfectly fitting payment for our young adventurers in rooting out the source of our problems.”

She clutched the pouch to her chest. “Thank you so much, Your Majesty.”

Rena curtseyed, and Claude followed with a better balanced bow.

The king tugged on his silver beard. “If you’re going to travel to El Continent, I think the Port of Clik would be best.”

“Thank you for your support, Your Majesty,” Claude said, his heart beating wildly. For some reason, he felt a great weight lifted from him, though the feeling seemed misplaced. After all, they were on the verge of a great battle. Maybe he was trying to sugarcoat the severity of the issue. He didn’t know.

The two turned and left the throne room without another word. The silence continued until they made their way outside the castle. Unable to contain himself any longer, Claude burst out laughing and doubled over, the passport gripped in his hand. “I hardly even _opened_ my mouth.”

“Don’t worry.” Rena laughed along with him. “I felt like I was going to faint.”

He stopped laughing long enough to stare at her. “Really? You did so well back there.”

Rena brushed a lock of hair from her face, “Well…I kind of recited what I wanted to say to him in the church.”

“Oh, I see.” Claude smiled and shook his head. “But he seemed to know you well enough. I’m surprised you felt as though you needed to be formal with him.”

“I’ve known the king since I was a small girl. Mayor Regis would bring me to Cross to meet him. It still leaves me star-struck, though, to just have a casual conversation with the king of Cross. But…I also knew that this matter would be different, since we were discussing the Sorcery Globe. I wanted him to take us seriously.”

“I didn’t realize that a pass was necessary to travel to a foreign land. Without your help, I probably couldn’t have obtained permission on my own.”

She gently swatted his shoulder and took the passport from him. “You’re so silly, Claude. I didn’t do anything special.” She stashed the pouch and passport in a small, pink bag tucked under her arm, and Claude wondered where she had gotten it, or where she had been hiding it in the throne room. The contents fit nicely and she looped the bag over her shoulder before continuing down the drawbridge.

He followed behind her. “Really, Rena. I mean it. Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me, honest.”

He walked side by side with her, his eyes scanning the wide moat that circled the castle. “How much did he give us, anyway?”

“I couldn’t count it right away, but it’s at least five or six hundred FOL.”

Claude tripped over his feet, the amount appearing in big, block numbers in his mind. Thinking back to how much that necklace had cost him, he realized how expensive things were in this world.

He didn’t want to comment further on the king’s generosity, and so changed the subject. “Say, Rena?”

“Yeah?”

He stopped walking, prompting her to do the same. “What did the king mean when he talked about Mayor Regis? Who is Jeremias?”

The flash of grimace from earlier returned, but did not fade as quickly as it had before. Rena turned her body and glanced sideways at him. “His son,” she said in a near whisper.

The laughter died inside him. “I…I’m so sorry…I didn’t know, or else I wouldn’t have asked.”

She resumed walking, but did not wait for him. “It’s okay, you couldn’t have known. Regis hardly ever talks about him anymore.”

Despite his curiosity, he felt awkward for wanting to broach the issue. Somehow, it made him feel closer to the old mayor, despite having known him for only a couple of days.

“Is that who is in the picture on his wall?” he asked, following her down the long, main strip.

“You mean the one with him and Elly? Yeah, that’s Jeremias.” She stopped to adjust the bag strap. “He died shortly after my father did. For a long time, everyone in Arlia thought Tria was punishing us, but for what, who could say? We prayed harder, went to church more often, and tried to do right by the teachings. Especially during that time, I longed for the Warrior.”

Claude found that he couldn’t face Rena, even though he wasn’t to blame for any of the things that had happened to her and Regis. If he had been the Warrior, as silly of a notion as it was, he would’ve saved Noa and Jeremias. Somehow.

“Regis really isn’t that old, but after his son died, it was like he aged overnight. He doesn’t look it now, but he was one of the strongest men in Arlia at one point. He and my father were best friends.” Rena continued down the main strip. “Anyway, let’s get going. Clik is a long walk from here.”

In the square, a huge crowd had gathered, and screaming resounded throughout the area. A man and woman occupied the center of the square and argued with each other as a long piece of tan parchment paper delicately fluttered on the ground between them. Claude and Rena joined the crowd and watched the escalating conversation.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” A woman in strange garments placed her hands on her wide hips. A hat adorned her silky lavender hair, and her white cape—if that’s even what it could be called—rustled as she swayed toward the man. Her purple dress clung tightly to her thin form, but her ample breasts spilled out. One wrong twist or turn, and it seemed they would escape free. Her thigh high white boots were stylish, and Claude wondered how she had been able to keep them looking pristine. “I bought it fair and square.”

Claude watched her graceful movements as she went to pick the parchment paper from off the ground. She lingered there, bent over, dangling breasts in view.

“What the hell are you talking about? You stole it from me.” The man across from her cast a pointed finger. He tried to cut her off as she reached for the object, his blue cape moving in rapid motions as he did so. She snatched the paper back in her hand and hopped out of his reach. 

“ _Stole?_ ” The woman’s eyes became narrowed slits. “And when, exactly, did I do that?”

“Shut up already and hand it over,” he snapped.

“How rude of him,” Rena muttered. “He needs to learn some manners.”

“Huh?” Claude watched her leave his side and join the fight in the square.

“Hey, you there,” Rena called out.

Panicking, Claude dashed in behind her. “Rena, _wait._ ”

“What’s that?” the man involved diverted his attention. Rena stormed up to the woman’s side. “Who the hell are you? Just some kid?”

“ _Rena,_ ” Claude grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him.

“What the…?” The man blinked and then his face transitioned into a scowl. “So, you got a bunch of kids to back you up? How weak.”

“You shouldn’t speak to a lady that way.” Rena attempted to move around Claude, but his arm encircled her waist and pulled her back to him.

“Rena,” he hissed. “Calm down.” Turning back to the man, he said, “You should try acting a little more civilized.”

“Keep your nose out of this.” The man jumped back, and exchanged glances between the woman and Claude. “Hmph. I’ll make you rue the day that you crossed paths with _me,_ Zeke the Great _._ ” He thrust an arm to the sky and chanted a series of words that Claude had never heard before.

Then, worse than the ensign had feared, beams of light showered down upon the man, formulating a rather large energy ball. Grunting, Claude kept Rena behind him, who still shouted and thrashed against him, and watched the other man intently.

“Well…that looks like trouble.” The woman smiled and brought her hands together. She mumbled something incoherent and then raised a hand. “ _Firebolt_!” and Zeke the Great was engulfed in flames. Claude’s eyes widened, and he instinctively held Rena tighter as the heat of the flames singed his nose and earlobes. He felt numb, and his thoughts ran incoherently. When the smoke cleared, Zeke appeared as a crumpled heap on the ground. His body, clothes and all, were black, and the smell of burnt flesh and fabric stung Claude’s nose. “Well, I hope you learned your lesson,” the woman said, a hint of wickedness playing in her gaze. “Don’t go around accusing innocent people of stealing.”

Claude was amazed that the man had the coherence to growl, but he appeared alive, and lively, even managing to spit out more obscenities, and then shouted, “You’re gonna _pay_ for this…” But instead of showing what her promised punishment would be, the man staggered to his feet and departed from the area without another word, ash falling from his hair and cindery clothes. A piece of his cape dangled by a thread until the weight became too much and it ripped away.

The woman’s eyes turned to the paper she had been defending. “Hopefully that taught him a lesson.”

“You okay, Rena?” Claude asked, disengaging from his defensive stance.

Her thrashing ceased. “Well, yes…but…”

“You’re quite the courageous boy, aren't you?” Both Claude and Rena shifted their gaze to the woman before them. “Thank you.”

“Boy?” Claude echoed.

“Huh? But _I’m_ the one—” Rena was cut off when the woman advanced toward the ensign and took his arm.

She patted his bicep and said in a strange tone, “I recognize the full potential that you have. Allow me to make an offer.”

“Uh…uh…It…it was nothing.” Claude laughed and tried to wriggle away. The clinging had come too unexpectedly.

“ _Claude…_ ” Rena pulled the name through clenched teeth and she balled her little hands into fists. “You’re _blushing._ ”

“Hmm…” She studied him as though she had never seen a man before. Rena made noise in the back of her throat, but the woman ignored it and said, “I know who you are. You’re the one who had an audience with the king earlier.”

“Huh?” Claude halfheartedly tried to pull away again. “How’d you know that?”

“Easy. I was on a tour of the castle at the time and I overheard some guards talking about two people who had special permission to jump ahead in the king’s schedule. So it’s you, right?”

He couldn’t stop giggling. He wished she’d stop rubbing her breasts up against him. “Uh…well…yeah, but…How did you recognize us?”

Her hip bumped against his. “I was curious, so while you were having your audience, I crept into the throne room to listen for myself.”

“Really?” Rena crossed her arms but her eyes were on the woman’s sidling hip. “So you were eavesdropping?”

She ignored Rena, “And now, back to that offer. I have some information that I believe you will enjoy hearing. You see, that awful man just now was after this special map that I bought at an auction today.” She waved the paper in his face.

“And?” Rena’s tone came off as less than enthusiastic, and her attention shifted to the interlocking arm between the woman and Claude.

“There’s a rumored ancient treasure that is supposed to be at the bottom of Cross Cave.” Her eyes met Claude’s. “Would you mind accompanying me to search this cave?”

“Sure.”

“No!”

Rena and Claude both turned to stare at each other. He couldn’t mistake the fury in the Arlian girl’s eyes and wondered if she could start a fire of her own without having to mumble words like the woman. 

“Claude…” Rena began, drawing out her words nice and slow, “we don’t _really_ have time to go treasure hunting right now…”

“Yeah, but…”

Unsurprisingly, the woman cut in. “Is that right?” She gave a high-pitched laugh. “You might uncover a hint or two about your own goal. What was that? The Sorcery Globe?”

“Really?” Claude couldn’t help but be taken in by her words, the thought of finding something that would help him get back home coming off as pleasant and reassuring.

“I’ll take it that you’d like to join me, then.” The woman pulled on Claude’s arm, but he found himself too busy thinking to move.

His eyes fell on the map. “Well…if you say that I might find something about the Sorcery Globe, then I’ll take you up on that offer.”

“Aha, I knew you couldn’t resist.” She gently poked his nose with the map. “My name is Celine Jules—master treasure hunter, if you will.”

“Oh, well, I’m Claude.” He jerked a thumb behind him to Rena, who appeared extremely discouraged, “And that’s Rena.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Claude.” She detached herself from his arm long enough to unroll the map in her hand. “Allow me to show this to you. Cross Cave is east from the Kingdom of Cross—”

“Wait, wait.” Rena waved her hands. “Cross Cave is a _natural_ cave that everyone knows about. I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole place has already been explored by now.”

“Yes, you’d think…” Celine rolled up her map and tucked it away in between her breasts. “However, this map was just recently discovered.”

“Wow…” Claude’s eyes lit up with interest. “Well, let’s get going then, all right?”

Rena spun on him. “Claude, Cross Cave is a two hour walk from here and it’s out of our way.”

“Two hours isn’t that bad, right?” He shrugged. “We can start off toward Clik by the end of the day.”

“And then what?” Rena rolled her eyes and mumbled, “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Both Claude and Celine turned in her general direction, but he was unable to hear her completely.

“Did you say something?” Celine asked her.

“Me?” She waved Celine away. “Of course not.”


	7. Three's a Crowd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rena can't help but find herself feeling like a third wheel between Celine and Claude as they make their way to Cross Cave. The Heraldic Arts user promises evidence of the Sorcery Globe inside the deepest parts of its confines, which piques Claude's interest. Rena deliberates quietly about seeking out the truth together or, in hopes of being seen and heard again, going it alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Still don't own Star Ocean 2 or any of its properties.
> 
> It's been a couple of weeks since the last update, mostly due to my fighting a nasty bug going on around here. This chapter, in my opinion, is the first that really breaks through the characterization barrier, as well as creates some kind of dynamic tension between characters. I hope you guys enjoy it.
> 
> \- ML

**\/\/\/**

**An Ocean of Mirrors**

**Chapter Seven**

**Three’s a Crowd**

**\/\/\/**

“Wow, so you weren’t exaggerating? You’re really on a quest to learn more about the Sorcery Globe, Claude?” Celine glanced upward with a smile, and held his arm like a child would a stuffed toy. “That’s a very courageous and noble quest.”

“Yes, well…” He laughed and stared at the well-groomed road ahead. He turned his head at a sign signaling Cross Cave along the way. “It’s no big deal.”

“Oh, but it _is,_ ” she sang back. “You must be a very strong and brave man.”

Rena watched the two of them go on, and she fumed from behind.

Ever since leaving Cross, Celine refused to release him. She hadn’t let go of his arm, even to pull out her map from time to time, and he hadn’t made her either. Rena’s face felt stiff from constant frowning, but she couldn’t help it as she observed, and every step made her angrier and angrier.

Finally, she blurted out, “I’m on this quest _too,_ you know.”

Her voice went unheard over Celine’s high-pitched cackle. Rena growled and slowed her step, not wanting to watch them be so lovey-dovey. She regretted ever trying to stand up for Celine back in Cross. But if she hadn’t, she knew Claude would’ve.

That was just the way he was.

“So, how much further is Cross Cave?” Claude asked.

“It won’t be long now, darling.”

Darling. What a horrible pet name.

Rena’s eyes turned to the trail behind her, at the path that they were _supposed_ to be on. Now they were going the wrong way, all because of Celine. She knew well that there was no treasure inside of the Cross Cave that would link to the Sorcery Globe. But since Claude was a foreigner to this land, he didn’t know any better.

But, by the way that he acted, maybe he didn’t care, either.

“Just like every other man,” she mumbled. “Hang out with a girl for a little while and then dump her when you find someone prettier.”

Her teeth sawed together. 

Then, her anger melted into despair as her attention fell to the leaf pendant dangling around her neck. It made her eyes water, especially when she grabbed it.

He had said he bought it as an apology and a ‘thank you’ for coming with him. Rena thought it to be a gorgeous necklace, and an expensive one at that. It still baffled her as to how he had paid for it. But she feared the act to be a lie. What if he bought Celine a beautiful necklace, too?

The thought horrified her and she shoved the necklace under her shirt.

“Well, here we are.” Celine released herself from Claude and tugged the map from out of her bosom. “Let’s see here…”

“Woah…” Rena heard Claude breathe as he peered up at the sight before him.

Cross Cave was the beginning of where the land had begun to die, a carpet of stone leading into a haunting mouth that held who-knew-what in it. Although she knew it to be a natural cave, Rena had never been to this place herself. It amazed her how it could be considered the beginner’s trek for adventures, especially as chilling as it appeared. If she stood still long enough, she thought she could hear something hard and dull echoing inside. She failed to convince herself that it was the wind.

“All right, I’ve got this all worked out here.” The sorceress waved the map in his face. “Let’s go, shall we?”

“Yeah, but…” Claude shifted his weight and pointed to the mouth of the cave. “It’s dark inside. How are we going to see?”

She hardly glanced at his pointing. “Oh, that’s right, isn’t it? Well…no problem.” She winked at him and muttered an incantation under her breath. Rena stared until a burst of light appeared above her, causing Rena to flinch.

“Wow…” He smiled and leaned closer to study the flame. “So this is…”

She swatted his lingering hand before it touched the fire. “Heraldic Arts, of course,” she said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “What? You don’t know what Heraldic Arts are?”

“He’s not from _around_ here,” Rena muttered, following the two into the cave. Again, no one heard her.

“Were you born in a cave or something?” Celine laughed. “Who doesn’t know about Heraldic Magic? Want me to explain, darling? I’ll explain. Through etching specific symbols on the body, the user’s mental power is transformed into certain kinds of energy. Heraldic Magic is used by creating special shapes or the name of a god of that element—you know, fire, water, earth, and air—onto the body. The spell I used on that smarmy sorcerer back in Cross was fire, and fire’s shape is the triangle.” She pointed to her forehead.

Claude nodded. “Interesting.”

Her face contorted. “What, you don’t believe me?”

He threw up his hands and grinned, but Rena could tell it was straining his face. “No, no, I mean, I saw you use fire back in Cross Kingdom. It’s just that Heraldic Magic like that doesn’t exactly happen where I come from.”

“And where _do_ you come from?”

Rena stepped in between them. “That’s really not important. What I would like to know is why a Master of Heraldic Magic needs to be accompanied to an over-explored cave. It’s like taking a walk to the park.”

Celine tossed a glance over her shoulder. “We’ve already been over this. This map shows an undiscovered section of the cave. I can’t rightfully know what’s in there without having explored it previously, correct? I mean, there could be something awful lurking in there. Safety in numbers.”

“Safety in numbers…” Rena scowled and watched as the sorceress wrapped one arm around Claude’s and used the other to hold the map out in front of her. He observed it with her, and the two mumbled to each other.

They walked through the cave for quite a while, the sound of Celine’s constant chatter being the only noise Rena could hear. Claude would nod from time to time as she explained more about Heraldic Magic, her duties as a treasure hunter, and the past experiences she had treasure hunting. Rena had a right mind to call her a liar; there was just no way someone like her could explore Lazard’s Tomb all by herself.

Rena did not bother to stifle her exasperation, and kicked a small rock by her toe. It sailed toward them, and she silently wished it would hit Celine. It whizzed between Claude’s ankles and smashed into the wall next to him, causing Rena to stiffen. His chat with Celine ended and he stopped to turn around. Rena immediately forced a smile, prompting him to smile back.

“Rena, you’ve been so quiet, I almost forgot that you were back there,” he said.

She fell sheepish and wondered if he would mention the rock. “Yeah…well…”

“Oh, look here, Claude darling…” Celine jerked his arm and he turned to the map. “At the intersection here, wouldn’t you say that we turn left?”

He hunched over the paper, and took one corner with his hand. “No, I think it wants us to go right.”

Rena’s jaw hung open in disbelief.

“ _I almost forgot that you were back there.”_

She wished she had replied sooner. She wished she had told him, “Yeah, well, you wouldn’t have forgotten about me if you weren’t hanging all over Celine,” but the words died in her mouth.

Celine shook her head. “No, no, it definitely says to turn left.”

Claude scratched his chin. “Hmm…well, why don’t we try going your way first and then if it’s a dead end, we’ll just come back.”

“My way first? Oh, Claude, you’re so good to me.” The sorceress laughed and the two turned down the left path.

Rena waited until they disappeared into the passageway together, the last bit of light leaving with them. Her heart sank as darkness embraced her. She didn’t want to believe it, but knew that if she stayed put, it would be a long while before either of them noticed her absence. 

She averted her gaze. “My input’s not that bad either, Claude.” Her fist clenched and she attempted to stare down the path her companions did not take. “It’s no use. I can’t see without her magic.”

The realization discouraged her and Rena’s eyes swiveled to the place that she had last seen Claude and Celine. Being with them would be safer—brighter…but so very lonely.

She murmured, “If I find the treasure before they do, they won’t be able to ignore me anymore. And maybe Claude will stop letting her hang all over him.” 

That thought was more pleasant. Dismissing all caution, she darted to the right, the sound of her thumping feet echoing in the passageway. 

The lack of light wasn’t as bad as she had feared; the stones embedded in the walls pulsed in green glows. She felt uneasy wondering how lights like these could exist without Heraldic Magic, but she was thankful that she didn’t have to depend on Celine’s abilities.

Rena wasn’t a user of the Heraldic Arts. She hadn’t any idea how to cast the spells. She presumed that Celine’s abilities were what had attracted Claude to her in the first place. The sorceress was strong, powerful, talented, and, most of all, gorgeous. All those traits and more were what made Celine her and what made Rena…so very, very ordinary.

Her eyes watered, but she scrubbed them away with the back of her sleeve. Rena’s vision cleared and she squinted down the passageway. The light faded up ahead, but she could make out the etchings of a stone wall.

“A dead end…” she said, dreading the thought of having to go back to her companions. “I’ll bet they haven’t even realized that I’m gone.” She shook her head and scanned her surroundings, “I’m sure there are more paths scattered in this cave. I’ll just go find another one.”

She bolted back the way she came, her desire to beat Claude and Celine to the treasure fueling her motivation. She stopped at the intersection where she had first left them, and positioned herself in front of the walls. Her eyes dialed in on the stones, tracing each curve, protrusion, and etching for some kind of clue. She fell against the wall and placed a hand on the cold stone.

Ideas came at a loss, no matter how exaggerated or dangerous. She pushed herself to a standing position and paced the wall, her fingers sliding over the stone to seek a tender spot or crack she had missed. Soft spots crumbled between her fingers and cracks led to nothing at all. Her timid raps against the wall evolved into full-fledged kicks by the time she paced the area.

“I don’t want to go back to them,” she told the wall. “I don’t want to watch them hanging all over each other.”

And then another horrible thought occurred to her.

What if they had already noticed her absence and didn’t care?

Maybe they were happy that she was gone, and were confessing their undying affection for each other.

“ _Claude darling…I love you…”_

“ _Oh, Celine…you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met._ _Let’s seal this confession with a kiss._ _”_

“ _Aaaaahhhhhh!”_ Rena screamed, and clutched her head. “Stop it, stop it, _stoooop it!_ ”

She fell to her knees, feeling the tears stream down her face. And then, with great determination, she reached up to unclasp the silver chain from around her neck and pulled it out from under her shirt. Holding it up to her face, she could see the faintest glint of green reflected from the glowing stone behind her, but the memory of when Claude had given it to her rang loud and clear in her mind.

“Now he can give it to Celine.” Her brows lined her puffy eyes and she tossed the necklace over her shoulder. It landed with a soft _clink_ and Rena wiped her tears. Forcing herself to stand, a sliver of light unlike the glowing stones caught her attention. It poked out at the bottom of the wall.

Crouching, Rena’s hand reached out to touch the glow. The dirt helping to cover it felt brittle under her touch and she applied more pressure. She felt pleased when she could feel it give way, pebbles trickling down the sides of her hand as she pushed. Then, feeling more confident, she used all of her body weight and threw herself against the wall.

It crumbled beneath her, and Rena tumbled through the wall. The ground she had been expecting on the other side was not there.

“ _Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!_ ” her screams faded into the darkness and the light that she had seen above disappeared as she plummeted into the cavity.

\/\/\/

“Out of my way!” Claude slammed his sword down and severed the monster’s head from its body. Breathing heavily, he turned to the Heraldic sorceress, who was locked in incantation. A moment later, a staggering blast knocked him to the ground, caused by her Firebolt spell.

He shielded his eyes, the monster behind him engulfed in flames with earsplitting shrills as it burned away.

“Are you all right?” Celine asked once the passageway fell into silence. “You took a pretty nasty beating back there.”

Reminded of his injury, Claude tenderly lifted his arm with his better hand and winced. Blood dribbled from a gash across his elbow, droplets splattering to the ground beneath him.

“Yeah,” he said through his teeth. “I’ll live.”

“You said that Rena can use healing powers.” Celine took a closer look at his wound and shook her head. “Too bad she isn’t here right now.”

Claude tore his gaze from the wound and dropped his head, his bangs falling into his eyes. “Dammit, where the hell is she? She was right behind us.”

Celine’s hands dropped to her sides and she sighed. “She was definitely with us when we turned at that intersection back there.” Then her face contorted. “You…You don’t think a monster got her, do you?”

“Don’t even say that.” He lowered his gaze again and clenched his wounded arm.

He didn’t want to openly admit it, but the thought had crossed his mind, too.

And it scared him.

He ran all of the possibilities over in his brain that he could think of. Reasons as to why she would run off—if that was what she did. Rena hadn’t been speaking much since Celine joined them, and had been opposed to coming to the cave, but he doubted that would prompt her to just up and leave.

But no matter how many explanations he came up with, the fact remained that she was gone and he had no idea where she could be.

“I’m…I’m sorry…” Celine whispered after a moment.

He forced himself to calm down, for both of their sakes. “It’s okay,” he said, his tone lower and more reasonable. “It’s just…Rena’s a good friend of mine. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”

“Just a friend, huh?” When he looked up, she stared at him with a face he wasn’t sure he liked.

“Yeah, just a friend. Why?”

She placed her hands on her hips. “It didn’t come off that way to me, Claude darling. I know that Rena wasn’t exactly _thrilled_ to have me come along.”

“That’s rubbish,” he said, still holding his injured arm. After a moment, he sheathed his sword and motioned for her to follow him. “Rena’s a very social and open girl. She wouldn’t shun anyone.”

“Oh yeah? You didn’t see the look in her eyes?”

“Well…” He paused for a moment and thought deeply back to the square in Cross. “I know she wanted to go to Clik as soon as possible.”

“Oh, you’re so dense.” She slapped him across his uninjured arm, prompting a yelp. “Forget I said anything at all.”

“Whatever you say.” He grunted and closed his eyes. “Let’s head back to the intersection, all right? She might be around there somewhere.”

Despite his pain, Claude forced himself into a run, and Celine stayed on his heels. Along with the discomfort of his wound, he kept his negative thoughts at bay, only wanting to believe that when they got there, Rena would be waiting for them. He fueled that thought by feeding himself reasons why she would be there.

She was scared of monsters.

She couldn’t see in the dark, nor did she like the dark.

She had no idea where she was going.

She knew that he would come looking for her.

But every flimsy reason that he could offer himself was quickly abandoned when he slowed to a crawl.

Rena wasn’t there.

Holding his breath, Claude spun in circles, anxiousness overwhelming him. “Rena,” he called out. “ _Rena!_ ”

“If she took off, I doubt she wants to be found,” Celine bared the unbelievable truth.

“No.” He turned on her. “She _didn’t_ take off. She just…She just…”

“What?” the sorceress asked. “Then what happened to her?”

His jaw gaped, opening and closing. He didn’t know how to answer. “I…I don’t know.” He crouched and buried his face in his chest. He ignored the incessant pain growing in his arm as his thoughts overwhelmed him.

“Claude…” Celine stood above him, that silly light above her head haloing her silhouette. He couldn’t believe that things were going this way. He saw no trace of Rena or her current state of being.

Claude pulled his head up and tried to gather his thoughts. He didn’t know what the little pebbles below him would tell him, but he thought that if he could find a footprint, then maybe…

Just _maybe…_

Placing himself on all fours, he used the knowledge that had been bestowed upon him with the help of the Federation. The skill to survive was considered one of the most important things to Claude’s father, and if one didn’t know how to survive out in the wilderness, then Ronixis J. Kenni would be sure that they learned.

Claude had been an unfortunate specimen in that category, and his father forced one of the worst father-son weekend trips on him. Ronixis kept silent as Claude made all of the decisions in the woods. He was but a boy at the time, maybe ten, he recalled, and hadn’t the slightest idea how to make camp, or spark fire without the help of a lighter. Hell, he couldn’t even cook.

“No son of mine is going to attend a Federation funded education system and not know how to cook.” Ronixis stared him down from the other side of the camp while Claude desperately sorted through his belongings to find the pan that he _knew_ he had packed. “Don’t turn this into a mess, Claude.”

He rolled his eyes, silently cursing his father and his disciplinarian ways.

And then there had been the tracking. Tracking was another important skill to his father. Claude would spend hours on the ground at his father’s request, picking the dirt apart and moving bushes and twigs.

“If there are others nearby, you need to be able to spot them first. This is _very_ important, Claude.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Claude had no idea that something like this would be necessary now.

“What are you doing?” Celine broke his thoughts and he jolted. His eyes shifted back to the ground.

“Looking for footprints,” he answered, carefully placing his hands in areas of dirt that hadn’t been tampered with. “If I can locate a print, I can use it to find out where she went.”

“Nice idea.”

He knew that it was, he didn’t need the extra commentary. His hand swept to the side and caught something between his fingers. 

Clamping down on it with his fingers, he brought it to his face, the glint of something long and somewhat heavy attracting his attention. It took him a moment, but he recognized the leaf shaped pendant that he had bought in Cross for Rena earlier that day.

“Oh…God…” His hand trembled as he clutched the necklace.

“What?” Celine knelt down to observe his find. “What is it?”

“This is…” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Rena’s necklace…” He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “I…I gave this to her earlier.”

“You gave that to her?” At his nod, Celine’s lips twisted. “‘Oh no’ is right.”

“What?” His brows furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Is it broken? The clasp in particular, I mean.”

He turned it over in his hands. “Not that I can tell.” 

Celine shook her head. “It would be different if she lost something else, or if it was actually broken, but that necklace is in perfect condition. And you say that _you_ gave it to her. So that can only mean…” 

He was tired of beating around the bush. Irritated, he asked, “Mean _what,_ Celine?”

Claude was astonished to find her laughing. “She’s angry with you, silly.” She rose to her feet and smoothed down her skirt before beckoning him to stand. “I’m sure she’s fine. She’s steamed, but she’s fine. Let’s go and find her before something _does_ happen, though.”

“Huh?” Claude stood and watched her move around the area. “What are you talking about?”

Celine’s attention remained elsewhere, and Claude wanted to know what. “Don’t worry about it, darling. You’re not a girl, so you wouldn’t understand.”

He stood back, face darkening. He hated those kinds of answers. Jen used to tell him that all the time, too. He wondered, if he could understand that meaning, would she have learned to love him after all?

“I think I might know where she went.” Celine peered through a medium-sized hole, eyes locked on the darkness below. “That’s a long way down.”

\/\/\/

“Owwww…” Rena rubbed her sore bottom, and forced herself to stand. There were specific times she felt thankful for her healing powers, and now was one of them.

Before long, her body’s aches softened and relaxed. She believed herself ready to walk and used the wall behind her for support to stand. She hoped that Claude and Celine were safe. If they fell through holes like that one, Rena wasn’t sure if they’d come out unscathed.

She glanced up at the darkness above. How she had survived that fall, Tria only knew. She couldn’t go back, even if she wanted to. But, the sooner she found Celine’s ancient ‘treasure,’ the sooner she could start looking for her companions. The spinning in her head subsided, and Rena plodded forward and turned past a corner.

No glowing stones appeared to light her way, just abundant darkness.

She hated unfamiliar darkness. Her walk turned into a jog, and she watched for any kind of light to appear in the passageway. A cold patch caused her to stop, and she tripped over a rock. She took slow, sluggish steps forward, hugging the wall with her hands. Her hand moved along the damp stone to guide her, and squinted to adjust her sight to the darkness, but to no avail.

The path ahead seemed relatively open, and the only sounds she could hear were her rheumatic steps and raspy breathing. The stuffy air dripped with the smell of potent minerals. She held her nose and scrunched her face.

She adjusted to the odor after a moment, but it didn’t remove her fear of the darkness.

Maybe leaving Claude and Celine behind had been a bad idea.

“No,” she hissed. “ _They’re_ the ones who didn’t need me. I’m sure that, even now, they’re walking together, holding hands, without any idea that I’m gone.” Though the thought was supposed to motivate her, it brought down her spirits instead.

The fact that she wasn’t needed felt painful. She never thought that she could be replaced so easily. Now that she had gotten Claude the passport to El, she could go back home to Arlia and he could continue with Celine.Sighing, Rena’s sluggish walk slowed to a pitiful shuffle, barely even moving.

It didn’t matter now. She was here and they were wherever they were. The only thing she could do was find the treasure before they did. It provided what little hope she had confidence left in.

She poked her head through a sizable hole at the wall’s end. The passageway filled with light from glowing stones and she felt comfortable in moving forward. Rena pulled herself through the hole and brushed flecks of mud from her clothes.

A monstrous pillar stood in the center of the room, and she had to crane her neck in order to see its entirety. Vines wrapped around its circumference, and it haloed with a crimson light. Mesmerized by its power, she moved toward it, the red luminance burning into her eyes. A low buzz pierced her ears, and she wondered if the pillar could be making the noise.

Then, her attention shifted when another light materialized and her eyes moved to the glow beneath her shirt. Rena tugged on the cord until her pendant popped out from under her shirt. The pendant pulsated in time with the radiant glow of the pillar, and she turned her eyes from the blinding light.

She cracked one eye open, watching the pillar and pendant brighten and dim in unison. “Is my pendant really doing that?” she murmured. “I didn’t realize it had that kind of power.”

The buzz from the pillar prompted a soft drone from her pendant, like a song. It was enough to send Rena into a shallow trance that beckoned her mind to wander. She meditated upon the rhythm that acted as both the charge to her thoughts, and the metronome to hold her in place. Her eyelids fluttered as she stood there, listening, and the warmth that washed over her seemed enough to make the entire room appear natural.

The song’s rhythm changed and the trance broke. Rena jumped when a crash came from across the room. The lights dimmed and her eyes beheld the hole on the other side of the pillar. The room illuminated with the same glow that the pillar had once had.

“Something strange is going on here,” Rena mumbled, her eyes unable to turn away from the newly opened hole. “I wonder if that’s where the treasure’s at.” The thought resulted in a grin. “That will teach them not to discard me so easily. _I_ was the one who found the passageway here without her silly map and _I_ was the one who opened the door to the treasure room.” Rena strolled into the next room expecting to find exactly what she had come for.

Indeed, several chests littered the room, all circling a lone, crystal star glowing in the center of the room. She couldn’t deny her curiosity, but the chests removed any worry from her mind. Being the only one in the room made it appear safe enough. Rushing forward to grab them like a little girl about to open presents, she carelessly flipped the lid of the first chest and peeked inside.

“Well, it’s not the treasure…” she pulled a plant from the bottom and studied it, “…but there are herbs in here. What luck! I wonder what other things there are.”

Moving counterclockwise around the large star, Rena took her time opening the chests. She found antique statues, some coins, and other remedies. None of these were the legendary treasure, but she still wondered why there were unclaimed chests to begin with, and who had left them.

She knelt by the last chest and grabbed it by the lid.

“Rena?”

The voice halted her and she dared to shift her attention. Standing in the hole made by the pillar were none other than Claude and Celine, much to her relief and disappointment.

“Rena…” Claude’s voice softened and he advanced toward her.

The sorceress moved in from behind, and Celine warned, “Don’t open the chests so carelessly, Rena.”

A switch turned on inside the girl.

Her fingers trembled on the chest lid. Rena was no child, and refused to be reprimanded by a woman who had no business being on their quest, especially since Rena had been there longer and done more than she. 

“Celine’s right,” Claude said. He came only a few steps away from Rena. “You should wait for us to check it out. It might not be safe.”

Rena could feel herself breaking.

Above everyone else, she had expected Claude to be on her side, not Celine’s. But Celine had him wrapped around her finger, and Rena knew that it was inevitable they would treat her like a child.

And that removed her sorrow and replaced it with anger.

Rena spitefully yanked open the lid, eyes shooting daggers at Claude with the intention of saying, “How’s that for dangerous?” But the words never left her mouth.

Her abrupt movements stopped the others and Rena looked inside of the chest.

It was empty.

The Arlian girl’s intended question was answered when two shrills broke the silence from above, and the shadow of a large body swooped over her. The gust ruffled her hair and the hair on her arms and legs, or perhaps that was from fear. Her head snapped back, and her heart raced.

Staring down at her were two large, winged beasts in rapid flight, their fangs unveiled. One arched, ceased flapping for a brief second, and nosedived toward her. She thought she was screaming, but couldn’t be sure over the beast’s deafening screech. Paralyzed with fear, she prayed that the impact wouldn’t hurt as much.

“Rena, watch out!” A body collided with hers, and they rolled across the floor before Rena flopped onto her back.

She stared at the ceiling, the two beasts circling over them.

“ _Firebolt!_ ” a stream of fire clipped one and directly smashed into the other. The explosion echoed throughout the room, and Rena turned her head and squeezed her eyes shut to avoid contact with the staggering blast and heat.

Claude pulled himself next to her, his hand holding her arm, and he sat up to inspect her.

“Rena, are you all right? Can you move?”

Rena could only manage a weak nod. He smiled at her, but his eyes betrayed the pain that he seemed to be in. She scanned his body and noticed the splotches of dirt on his pants and jacket. He had several scrapes and cuts and she wondered how she hadn’t noticed them before. She felt certain he hadn’t earned them dodging the beasts, and the large gash on his arm startled her.

“You’re hurt.” She quickly sat up and took hold of his arm. “I’ve got to heal you.”

“There’s no time.” He gently pushed her away. “Get back.”

She resisted his touch and snapped, “No. _I’m_ a part of this team, too, Claude.” He stared at her as though she had told him she was a monster in disguise. He seemed to have lost his voice and Rena continued, “I know I’m not as strong as you or Celine, but I _can_ do things, too.”

His eyes softened, “Rena…”

Their conversation was interrupted by the blast above them.

“Hey, think you can save your argument until _after_ the battle?” Celine hopped back, and dodged a swipe from one of the winged beasts. “I could use some help here.”

“Right, sorry about that.” Claude shakily pushed up to his feet, and unsheathed his blade. 

Rena sat behind him on her knees and watched as he moved out onto the battlefield. The second beast engaged him and he swung his sword.

“I wish I _could_ do something,” Rena mumbled, realizing that her talk had been just that—talk.

“ _Wind Blade!_ ” Celine crossed her two index fingers, and the outline of a squall left her body. Resisting against the wings of the beasts, they were pushed back only to easily shake off the spell.

“Dammit,” Claude slashed with his sword, but missed the beast in front of him and ducked its retaliation. “How are we supposed to beat them?”

“These creatures must be the guardians of the treasure.” Celine retreated to the other end of the room. “It’s not going to be easy…”

“ _Hyaaaaaa!_ ” Claude swung his blade down and gashed the leg of the beast he had been dealing with. He parried and jabbed again.

Rena wobbled to her feet when the other beast turned on her, and she ran around the room with it hovering over her.

“Watch out, Rena,” Celine shouted and held a hand to her head and used her other arm to point at the beast. “ _Thunderbolt!_ ”

Rena threw herself to the ground and covered her head with her hands. She felt the heat of the sparks above her and the piercing buzz of electricity. She lay there, shaking, even after the spell dissipated.

“Nice one, Celine,” Claude called out, and a large crash above her resounded.

“Watch out for yourself!”

Rena uncovered her head and turned to Claude, who stood deadlocked with one of the beasts. Its long talons wrapped around the steel of the blade and Claude pushed and pulled on the blade. He struggled against its weight, holding his balance, but the beast picked him up by his sword and hurled him across the room.

“Claude,” Rena cried and dashed for his crumpled form.

“This demands something stronger…” Celine frowned. “You guys are going to have to buy me some time.”

Rena frantically turned from the sorceress to Claude. He struggled to pull himself to a sitting position, his hand sweeping across the ground in search of something, perhaps his sword. The beast landed and waddled over to him, prodding him with its talons.

She struggled against her indecisiveness, rolling the choices for her next action over in her head.

“Rena.” The Arlian girl whirled on Celine, who pointed to the beast circling them. “Distract them.”

“But how?” Rena’s fingers twitched from anticipation.

“Use your head.” Celine brought her hands together, closed her eyes, and became lost in incantation.

Rena bit down tightly on her lip, and scanned the ground. Then something occurred to her and she reacted. Reaching down to grab a handful of stones, she alternated hurling them at the beasts, aiming for their wings and backs. She felt certain that they couldn’t feel much of anything, but it did divert their attention.

Their beady eyes fell upon her and she could feel the sweat trail down the back of her neck. Discomfort shivered up her body, and she hatedbeing the decoy, but if she didn’t do something, Claude would most certainly be killed.

“Hey,” she pelted another stone. “Come and get me.” Throwing the last of her ammunition, she stuck her tongue out and ran around in a sloppy circle. Though it frightened her, she felt pleased to see that her plan had worked.

Flapping their wings, the beasts dove at her one at a time. Timing her next move correctly, she dodged out of the way of their strike, and allowed herself to fall to the ground and roll. From out of the corner of her eye, Claude had found his sword and used it as support to stand. She remained on the ground for too long after her roll, she realized. When a claw came at her face, she barely had enough time to react, and curled her body in on itself.

She wanted to scream, but knew that she had to keep with the plan.

“ _Rena,_ ” she heard her name, but paid it no attention. The same beast lunged for her again, fangs bared and ready to clamp down on her. She positioned her legs and used all of her force to kick the beast in the face. It sputtered and toppled to the ground, but the second beast swooped in.

She struggled against the beast’s weight and flurries with her flailing legs, and finally released the scream she had kept in her throat. A sword came down on the beast’s back. It howled and flew away with heavy beats, and Claude reached down to yank her to her feet.

“Are you all right?” though he looked worn himself.

Keeping positive for him, she nodded and lowered her gaze to the injured beasts.

“Celine.” She looked in the direction of the sorceress. “Are you ready yet?” But all Rena could see were the dark storm clouds encircling her body.

“ _Thunder Storm!_ ”

Rena and Claude watched as the beasts lit up like the fire bugs she could see in Arlia at night. Electricity surged up and down their bodies and she clamped her hands over her ears to drown out their high shrills. Her back hit Claude’s chest, and she felt warm for the moment, knowing that he and Celine were all right.

The monsters disappeared with the finishing of the spell, and nothing remained to detect their existence. Rena could feel Claude pull away and she spun on her feet. He had fallen to his knees, breathing heavily, and she was reminded of his terrible wound.

“Oh, Claude.” She knelt beside him and gingerly took his arm into her hands. “Let me heal you.”

“It’s not that bad…” but he gave a sharp yelp the moment she fingered the gash.

She jolted back. “I…I’m sorry…”

Claude breathed out and offered her his wounded arm again. “No, it’s all right. Sorry for yelling.”

She leaned forward, and placed her hands over the wound. Her eyes focused and a white wave materialized in front of her, and washed over Claude’s body. A part of her worried for his reaction, based on what had happened the last time she used her powers on him. But she remained where she was, and when the light faded, he gave her a smile.

She hadn’t been expecting that reaction, but had hoped for it.

“That reminds me.” He reached into his jacket and withdrew something in his hand. Claude extended his fingers to reveal what he had and she couldn’t help but cringe. “I found this. You dropped it.”

The necklace he had given her—the same necklace she had torn off and thrown to the ground earlier—remained in perfect condition, and sparkled warmly up at her.

Her eyes fell. “That’s a beautiful necklace,” she whispered, voice cracking. “It would look gorgeous on Celine…wouldn’t it, Claude?”

He didn’t seem to follow. “Huh?” His brows arched, and his lips twisted at one end. “What are you talking about?”

She shrugged. “Well, sure. She’s beautiful and has the perfect neck for it to sit on and her tattoos will—”

“And I bought it for _you._ ” Claude’s eyes narrowed and he pushed the necklace in front of her. “Where’s all of this coming from, Rena?”

She could feel her defenses crumbling, but wanted to be sure _._ The look in his eyes was serious, almost as though she _could_ trust him. But remembering how the two were hanging all over each other earlier and how they had forgotten about her…

“It’ll match her eyes,” Rena blurted.

“Are you saying you don’t want it?” Claude seemed angry now, but Rena couldn’t mistake the hint of sadness either.

“You know, it’s a strange thing how he got that wound.” Rena could feel Celine standing above her, which made her very uncomfortable. When she had the courage to look up, the sorceress hovered, arms crossed, with an unfavorable stare. “You see, Rena, once he found out that you were gone, he immediately turned back and ran down the passageway, _without_ any light to guide him. His mind was so preoccupied with finding you that he didn’t notice the monsters until after they attacked him.”

Horrified at what Celine had told her, Rena’s eyes shot up and searched Claude’s face for any hint of truth that would confirm Celine’s story. Perhaps he’d seen the terror in her eyes because his gaze trailed up to the sorceress and he frowned.

“It wasn’t Rena’s fault,” he argued. “I should’ve been paying better attention to the battle.”

“You _would’ve_ been paying better attention had you not been so preoccupied with finding Rena,” Celine pointed out. “And that last battle could’ve been avoided entirely had she not been so careless.”

With the older woman’s harsh words hitting her like stones, the Arlian girl felt her shoulders slump lower and lower until she was sure that she would hit the ground.

“Rena was just trying to help. And we’re all okay, aren’t we? Let’s just leave it at that.” Not quite able to believe that Claude was standing up for her, Rena found the strength to look from him to Celine.

She had expected the sorceress to be angry, but was quite surprised to see the big grin splitting her face. 

Celine met Rena’s eyes and said, “I’m quite envious of you, my dear. I wish _I_ had a man who defended me so. You’re very lucky.”

“Huh…?” Feeling her cheeks tint red, Rena tore her gaze away and stared at the ground. Her bangs fell over her eyes and she hoped no one could see her embarrassment. Celine’s words stuck with her, fading in and out of her mind.

“Anyway…” Celine flicked her wrist and turned on her heel. “Guess that there’s only one chest to look in, right, Rena?”

Rena remained silent, unable to find the courage to say anything at all. Her fingers fled to the hem of her skirt and fumbled with the cloth all the while fighting back tears. She didn’t even have the strength to tell Celine that the last chest was empty.

“I’m really sorry…” was what she wanted to tell them, but the only thing that would form was, “Let’s go.”

She removed her hands from her skirt and placed them on the ground, balancing herself so that she could stand. A force pushed her back down and, startled, her face lifted to meet the stern blue eyes of Claude. Rena guessed that their talk hadn’t ended.

She struggled to speak, “…Claude…”

He shoved his hand toward her. Nervously, her eyes rested upon his curled fingers. She knew what was in his palm. “Do you still want it?”

Rena sighed and closed her eyes. She did want it, ever so much really. And she didn’t want him to give it to Celine. Thoughts of him and the sorceress interlocking arms seemed so distant now. Giving a sniffle, she nodded her head and opened her eyes.

His face softened, much to her relief. “Good.” Claude reached across her body and clasped the chain from the back.

Taken aback by the sudden closeness, warmth flooded her cheeks. Fingers shaking, she held her breath until after he pulled away. He stayed long enough to give her a smile, and stood. Frozen in place, she watched him hold out his hand, waiting for her to take it.

“You gonna stand?” he asked after a moment of no response.

“Oh…uh…yeah…” Grabbing his hand, Claude tugged and the force brought her to her feet. “Thanks.”

“Oh my _goodness,_ ” came the voice from across the room. Claude and Rena both turned in Celine’s direction, her face shoved into a book.

“Where did you get that?” Rena tilted her head.

She didn’t lift her eyes as she answered, “From inside the treasure chest, silly.”

Rena couldn’t stop her puzzled stare. She had been sure the chest was empty.

A moment later, Celine slammed the book shut with one hand, smiling widely. “I can’t read a thing.”

“Uh…” Claude blinked. “Why do you seem so happy about that?”

“It just means more of an adventure for me.” Strolling over to them she said, “I suppose I’ll just have to find a linguist to translate this for me—perhaps back in my village.”

Claude and Rena both shared the laugh, and the Arlian girl shook her head. Celine chirped on about the book in her hand.

Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all.

\/\/\/

“I have to thank you both,” Celine turned to them when they reached the mouth of the cave. “You’ve been a great help to me. Thank you.”

“You definitely took us for quite the ride.” Claude gave her a sly look. “There was nothing at all about the Sorcery Globe in here.”

Celine’s laugh beheld a hint of nervousness and she averted her eyes. “Sorry that there was nothing of use for you after all.” She appeared sympathetic, but Rena could see the sparkle in the sorceress’ eyes.

“ _Sure_ you are…” Rena gave her a playful nudge on the shoulder.

Celine seemed to appreciate the contact. “So, what are you two going to do now? Still planning to travel to El Continent?”

“You bet.” Claude paused for a moment. “What about you?”

“Hmm…” She turned away and crossed her arms.

Rena watched her, several thoughts passing through her mind. She knew what the right thing to do would be. And though it had pained her before, she felt like she was beginning to understand Celine just a little more. The return trip out of the cave was different—she hadn’t tried to hang all over Claude like before, and hadn’t flirted or made one lewd remark.

It seemed strange.

Rena wasn’t sure what had made Celine stop, but if she could respect her feelings enough to do that…

“Celine, why don’t you come with us?” she blurted.

The sorceress dropped her arms and Rena could hear her and Claude exclaim, “Rena?”

“Of course,” the Arlian girl giggled. “If you have no other plans, why don’t you come along? We’d love to have you.”

“Rena…” Claude’s eyes darted between her and Celine.

Warily, Celine took a step toward her. “Are you sure?” When she smiled this time around, it wasn’t one of her usual smiles. It looked painful. “I know you and I started off on the wrong foot.”

Rena reached out to take the other woman’s hand. “I’d be delighted if you joined us, Celine. Please say you’ll come.”

Celine stared down at their joined hands. “Well…in that case…” she shook Rena’s hand, “I’ll take you up on your offer.”

“R-Really?” Claude’s jaw dropped.

“Is there something wrong, Claude?” Rena turned in his direction.

“Huh? Oh…n-no. It’s not that…” He looked away.

“Good.” Celine cut him off with her laughter. “Then I’ll be tagging along from now on. What’s our next course of action?”

“We’re going to head for the Port of Clik and catch the boat there to El.” Rena turned to show the bag she had attached to her hip using the shoulder strap. “We’ve already got the passport from the king.”

Celine clapped her hands together. “Then let’s get moving. Clik is about four days from here—walking, that is, and it will be dark soon.” Taking the lead, the sorceress left the two in the mouth of the cave.

“I thought you didn’t like her,” Claude whispered, pointing to the older woman.

“I didn’t at first,” Rena admitted. “But now that I think about it, she’s not so bad. Are you all right if she comes along?”

Claude held her gaze and shook his head. “I’m okay if you’re okay.”

\/\/\/

The open plains was flat and the trampled path from other travelers and carriages made the walk easy. Rena could see the stretched horizon for what seemed like miles, and wondered when they would first be able to see the break of the ocean. The suns had just crested the western mountains when Celine stopped without warning and mumbled something too low for Rena to hear. The tattoo on her forehead lit up and she tilted her head to fall onto her back. Claude reacted, but the sorceress never hit the ground.

“Ahhh, this is the life,” she said and then laughed. Her body lay sprawled in the air, undulating softly. Then she curled onto her side and propped her head in her hand. “A levitate spell. Nothing fancy, but it beats sitting on rocks and dirt.”

Rena felt a warmth spread across her chest at Celine’s words and she remembered something dreadful.

“We’re camping out tonight?” Rena turned to Claude, who was wearing the same mortification. “But...we don’t have any blankets or tents for that.”

The smile vanished from Celine’s face. “You’re joking, right? Please tell me you’re joking.” The look on Claude’s face caused her to stand, disrupting the levitation spell. “Where did you think you were sleeping tonight? Clik’s a four day walk from here.”

“We haven’t had to sleep outside yet,” Rena admitted in a near whisper, remembering the last camping experience she had.

Dias had taken her and Cecille to the woods in between Arlia and Salva to hunt for wildflowers, and they were late in getting home. He seemed to have premeditated the experience, because he packed for it, and nothing in the world could be better than to sleep under the stars at the age of nine with two of her best friends. Of course, this time was nothing like last time, and there was a lack of equipment with them now. 

Claude rubbed his forearm. “There’s no lodging along the road?”

Celine made a noise and Rena wasn’t sure if the sorceress was laughing or crying. The Arlian girl didn’t want to ask, either. She had been so preoccupied with getting Claude to Cross Kingdom—to display her tour guiding skills—that she had forgotten about where they were going to sleep that night.

“We would have bought camping supplies,” Rena said, coolly, “if we hadn’t gotten sidetracked by having to go to Cross Cave.”

“Hey, don’t blame me for your negligence.” Celine sighed and settled her hands on her hips. “I thought something was wrong when I didn’t see you carrying any packs. I guess I really _am_ traveling with a couple of kids, aren’t I? Well, it can’t be helped now. It will be dark soon, so we’d better get some firewood.” Her eyes locked with Claude’s. “You _can_ do that, can’t you, Claude darling? Do you know how to? The drier the better.”

He appeared as though he had something to say, but resolved himself to turn away and walk into the open field.

Rena watched him scour the ground, kicking at grass and pebbles. “There’s no firewood out there, Celine. We’ll be burning shrubbery and foliage.”

Celine shrugged. “Good thing we don’t have to set up camp, right? That means extra time for searching.” She unbuckled a small satchel from her belt and pulled out some red checkered fabric. “What were you planning to do for dinner?”

Rena flushed. “I have some biscuits that I brought from Arlia.”

Celine quirked a brow and pushed her lips together. “That’s all?”

“What about you? Don’t you have something to eat?”

The sorceress shrugged and set the fabric on a large rock not ten feet away. “I have some bread and cookies. I had planned on returning to Cross this evening.”

“So we’re not the only ones who didn’t prepare properly.” Rena let herself relax. “I suppose that means we’ll have to ration our food for the next few days.”

“Not necessarily. Do either of you know how to hunt?” At Rena’s silence, Celine continued, “When in doubt, we hunt. But we’ll be okay. There’s a stream up ahead. We can make do for tonight and fish tomorrow for dinner. And there’s an area a few miles off where the berries are safe for picking.” Celine jokingly nudged Rena’s shoulder with her own and said, “I’ll make you into a forager yet, Rena darling.”

Celine stepped off of the trail and stooped low to pick up rocks. She came back toward the trail and set them side-by-side. Then she returned to the same area for more.

“How do you know so much, Celine?” Rena asked as the other picked up several rocks and returned to Rena.

“Years of experience as a treasure hunter. That, and I learned a lot about plants and herbs from a cranky, old man.” Celine stared at the ground and then nodded at Rena’s feet. “We’re going to have to brush that area clean if we’re going to make a workable fire pit.”

“I don’t mind getting my hands dirty.” Rena fell to her knees and swept small twigs and rocks away. It was the least she could do since Celine had to do all of the hard work. 

She pulled grass up by their roots and flattened the dirt under her palms. Celine set the rocks there once the girl finished and rearranged them in a circle. Rena took the first two rocks Celine set down and added them to the circle.

“Since we’re not cooking, we don’t have to make a big fire.” Celine glanced in the direction Claude wandered off in and squinted. Rena gauged there to be only a few more minutes until sundown.

“That levitation spell seems really neat,” the Arlian girl said and smiled. “Can you sleep using it?”

The sorceress laughed. “Wouldn’t that be nice? No, I’m afraid. Heraldic Arts requires solid concentration. I can’t concentrate if I’m asleep, so the spell doesn’t work.”

“Oh, I see…But it didn’t seem like you needed much concentration to use that spell.” 

“Remember the light spell I used in Cross Cave? Spells like that require only a little bit of concentration, but I couldn’t fall asleep with them still active.” Celine continued to arrange the rocks.

Rena stared down at the circle and asked, “Is this how you spend your nights out here?”

Celine continued arranging the fire pit. “Sometimes. When I’m more prepared, anyway. Most of the time, I’m doing this from inside of caves and old ruins, though.”

“Don’t you get scared, being all alone in the dark with monsters? I mean, the guardian we fought today was pretty scary.”

Celine laughed. “If I got scared of every monster that came after me, I wouldn’t be much of a treasure hunter.” She sat back on her knees. “Besides, there weren’t any monsters before three months ago. It was a lot more peaceful back then.”

“Before the Sorcery Globe.” Rena stared at the empty fire ring.

“What made you guys want to go looking for the Sorcery Globe, anyway?” Rena looked up and Celine shrugged. “Sorry if I’m being too nosy, it’s just that no one in their right mind would want to go to El is all. I would expect the king to be sending some knights, not two kids.”

“Well, if you heard the conversation, then you would know that the king has already sent men. No one’s returned.”

“That’s why he didn’t want you guys going, either.”

Rena shook her head. “But Claude wanted to go. He’s the Warrior.”

Celine gurgled. “I’m sorry, what?” Rena’s face remained unchanged and the sorceress continued to stare. “Did you just say that Claude is the Warrior?”

“Well…he says he’s not, but…” Rena trailed off and shook her head. “I believe he is.”

Celine fell quiet for a moment and said, “That explains a lot. I do believe I made the right decision in coming with you guys, then.”

“Please don’t tell Claude I told you,” Rena said. Celine stood and stretched. “He got really upset the last time I said anything about it.”

Celine mumbled something under her breath and her tattoo glowed. She fell back and seated herself in the air. “You can be assured of my secrecy, Rena darling. I’m more curious to see how this plays out, personally.”

Rena smiled and sighed. “Thank you.” A disturbance in the field caused her attention to turn and she saw Claude coming toward them, a dark bundle in his arms. “Now we can start the fire.”

Celine mumbled a string of words to herself, and a flash brought Rena’s attention to the empty fire ring. A blazing fire materialized there, and Celine looked rather pleased. A dull thud echoed from the distance with Claude’s, “Seriously?” as he dropped the bundle of sticks from his arms.

The sorceress used a dainty hand to stifle her giggles and Rena said, “If you could use Heraldic Arts to start the fire to begin with, why did you have us collect wood and stones?”

“I wanted a little time for some girl chat,” Celine confessed in a light tone. “Besides, since neither of you can construct a fire without magic, it makes for some good practice.” She stretched and yawned. “We’ll start that tomorrow night, though. Tonight, I’m feeling generous.”

Rena sighed as Claude’s heavy clomps signified his return to the camp. It looked like Celine was every bit the minx she took her for.


	8. The Pickpocket of Clik

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claude and the others arrive in Clik and prepare to set sail for the looming lands of El. As they await for the completed preparations of their ship, panic befalls Rena, who realizes that her purse, with their passport to El, has been stolen. Where could the pickpocket have gone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Star Ocean 2 will never belong to me.

**\/\/\/**

**An Ocean of Mirrors**

**Chapter Eight**

**The Pickpocket of Clik**

**\/\/\/**

Claude had seen port cities before on earth—even grew up in one—so seeing another couldn’t be anything special. But he kept forgetting that he wasn’t on earth anymore. So when he missed a step on the way into Clik because he couldn’t take his eyes off of the structures, Rena told him that it was only natural. Of course, she had only been to the port city once, many years ago, and she was treating their visit no better than Claude.

“It does have its luxuries,” Celine pointed out. “Like when you catch the horizon at sunset. It’s so romantic.”

Regaining his composure, Claude turned to his surroundings. His mouth fell ajar and he could feel his neck stretch in order to take in the entirety of the scenery. Unlike earth’s port cities, the air hinted to a nearby ocean. He almost expected the overpowering smell of running motors and exhaust pipes, but felt both relieved and amazed when he wasn’t tackled by either.

The salt was so fresh that it felt like it dried to his skin just by standing outside, the scent of fish permeated the air, and the cerulean sky remained clear from pollutants, like factory smoke. He had only been able to imagine what life had been like in the old days when he read about port cities in history books, but being able to actually live it had become the best thing of all. Though he desired to go home, he couldn’t help but treat the event like a field trip, from seeing quaint, underdeveloped villages, to castles with real kings, and fresh port cities. He wished he could’ve shown Fredrick and Michael. Michael, especially, because his father had a boat and taught Michael to sail. Hell, he wished he could’ve shown Jen, who had always wanted to meet a real king. 

Claude didn’t want to admit it, especially to the girls, but he anticipated the boat ride and relaxation, even if their destination wouldn’t be so relaxing. He had slept horribly half of the four days traveling, nightmares plaguing him for two of those nights, and all he could remember was being trapped behind glass both times.

He hoped to never have dreams like that again.

Thankfully, Celine could fish and pick non-poisonous berries, and her Heraldic Arts proved more than useful in the fishing category, but he was amazed at her knowledge of plants. He also made a mental note to pick up camping equipment and more food supplies before going to El. It was a life lesson well deserved and his father would not have wasted any time scolding Claude if he had come to know of his negligence in the art of survival. 

On the upside, and it was a very important upside to Claude, he had been able to shave with the use of sharpened clam shells he found in the river. It had been Celine’s idea, originally, who sheepishly admitted to having used them for her legs when her flint broke in the wilderness one day. She helped to sharpen the shells with a rock, and handed him a bar of soap from her pack. Awkward at first, he passed the experience with satisfactory success. At the very least, he felt he could cross it off of his bucket list.

They passed a row of houses, and he followed behind Celine, who had been to Clik many times.

“It’s been years since I went to the ocean,” Rena said. “This is incredible, nothing like the waters in Arlia.”

They walked along a bridge, and he stopped to gaze into a stream that had broken away from the ocean. Gentle currents lapped onto walls of the bridge, and he lingered a moment longer before realizing that the girls were leaving without him. Shops decorated each side of the street, and even more in the plaza. People bounded in and out of doors carrying bags and boxes, and vendors were sprinkled with their carts around the city.

Descending a steep set of stairs, he received a firsthand view of the ocean, rays of sunlight glittered on the ripples in the water. Gulls circled overhead, squawking, and several sailboats tied around the dock bounced over the incoming waves. The northern part of the dock saw the most activity, as sailors hurried and went, wheeling crates and boxes onto the largest boat Claude had ever seen.

“I wonder if that’s the boat that we’ll be sailing on…” Rena leaned over the stone wall, looking out over the dock below. “It’s _huge._ ”

“It certainly is big.” Celine placed her hands on her hips, a smug smile spread at her lips as though she had sailed on a boat that big a thousand times. Given her experience and world travel, Claude wouldn’t have been surprised if that were true.

“I really wish we had more time to look around.” Rena tapped her foot against the ground and looked to him.

He smiled at her words. He wouldn’t have minded seeing more of this planet before leaving it.

“Come on, then.” Celine clapped her hands together. She turned and continued down the stairs.

The two followed, but Claude’s eyes caught an enticing sight. In the center of the plaza stood a large, majestic fountain. Water poured from the monument’s top and landed in sprays at the bottom. Those passing by tossed coins in. Gathered around in a circle were more shops and tourist attractions, along with street vendors and artists painting the scenery on each corner.

On the far end of the plaza spiraled another staircase around a hillside and led far up past where he could see. He suspected that it was the best sightseeing place in Clik. Celine and Rena were headed for the opposite end of the plaza when he finally pulled himself back into reality and jogged to catch up.

Just as he had seen from up top, the port bustled with people and their merchandise. Kids ran in the streets, darting and weaving in between working sailors. They laughed and shouted, and some of the sailors scolded them, but most ignored the children. Sidestepping around boxes and crates full of fish and spices, Claude and his companions walked along the planks of the docks.

His eyes vacillated between the hustling sailors and the sea where several bobbing boats were tied up to small piers. Until now, he had become accustomed to the fishy scent until they passed a large crate full of them. He gagged and held his breath, cutting off both Rena and Celine as he hastened his walk.

“That must be the captain.” Celine pointed far down the street, her bangles jingling together.

Claude followed her gaze and spotted a man in a burgundy overcoat with a black fisherman’s cap. He barked out a series of orders to a group of men and they scattered. He stood in front of a plank leading up to the big boat they had seen from the top of the stairs. Two men approached him and spoke in low voices.

“Let’s go talk to him,” Rena suggested and walked on. As she neared the captain, his mouth snapped shut and he and the other turned to her. She smiled and bowed. “Excuse me, sir, do you know where to find the captain of this boat?”

“That would be me.” His voice was deep and rustic—it almost reminded Claude of his father’s. “What can I do for you?”

“I have this…” Rena fished through her bag for a moment before producing a folded and slightly crumpled passport. “We want to go to El Continent.”

The colored drained from the captain’s face, and he wordlessly took the passport from her with twitching fingers. He took his time slipping the string from it, as though the destination would change by the time he unfolded it. His eyes skimmed the words before peering at her from over the top of the paper. “I can’t believe you actually got this,” he said.

“We’re serious about going to El.” Claude stepped in behind Rena. “Can you take us there?”

The captain slowly folded the passport in half and several more times than necessary. Looping the string around the parchment, he said, “Well… _yeah,_ a’course I could take you there, but you just don’t seem like the type to be able to score a passport from the king.”

Rena frowned. “Maybe not, but we did.”

“What kind of business could you possibly have there?” The captain stuffed the passport into his coat pocket. “It’s probably none of my business anyway.”

Claude had every intention to agree with him, but asked, “So, when does this boat take off?”

“Hmm…” The captain looked at his boat. “It’s gonna be a bit, honestly. We have some more cargo to load, but there’s a bugger of a piece that we’ve yet to get to.”

“That long, huh?” Rena said, her tone flat. “So a few hours?”

The captain paused and made a noise in the back of his throat that Claude could only interpret as “aaaahhhh.”

“So that’s a ‘yes?’” Claude crossed his arms.

The captain must’ve realized the stern look in the ensign’s eyes because he backpedaled and made animated hand gestures. “L-Look, I’ll tell you what. We’ll wait up for you, so why don’t you just go have a look around the town for a bit, all right?”

Forcing air out through his lips, Claude’s eyes fell to Rena and Celine. “That okay with you two?”

They were silent for a moment, but Celine answered with a shrug and Rena mirrored it. Neither looked pointedly upset, and Claude found himself wanting to cling to what little sense of beauty there was left. He knew that once they arrived at El, if it was like what Mayor Regis had said, there wouldn’t be a trace of life left.

\/\/\/

“I wonder why the captain acted so strangely when I asked about the departure.” Rena tapped a finger against her cheek and stepped around a couple walking toward her.

“He probably is in no hurry to sail to El,” Celine said. “I mean, realistically, Rena darling, would _you_ be?”

“Either way,” Claude cut in, “we should enjoy the sights before we leave. Who knows if we’ll be able to do this again.”

They walked with no hurry back into the city, each discussing how they wanted to spend their time until the boat departed. Celine was in the middle of a suggestion when they arrived in the plaza, and Rena cut her off.

“Say, why don’t we sit down on those benches over there?” She pointed across the plaza to a set of benches in front of the massive fountain. “We can discuss what we want to do while taking a load off.”

“Why bother?” Celine blew a strand of lavender hair from her eyes. “We’ll be sitting enough on the boat. We should make the best of our time now and go shopping.”

Rena’s finger drooped in midair. “Oh…well, now that you mention it, that sounds reasonable.”

Celine’s eyes searched the plaza. “Clik has a famous clothing store. I’d like to see it one last time before we head out. It has absolutely the best fashions available this side of Cross.”

“Yeah,” Claude chimed in. “We passed those stairs to that cliff up top. I really want to see the view from there. We should also get some camping equipment and supplies.”

“That’s right.” Celine nudged him in the stomach and chuckled. “You guys really should. The ground gets hard to sleep on after a day of it, huh? Not to mention the morning frost…”

Before Rena could protest, the two were talking amongst themselves before moving in separate directions. She held out her hand to stop them, but the words died on her tongue. Soon, they were lost within the crowd and disappeared from sight. She folded her arms, eyes narrowed.

“I’m so glad they asked me if I wanted to come along.” But her annoyance faded and she sighed in an attempt to dispel the irritation.

She read various signs on the shops and streets, hoping to suppress the awkwardness of being left alone. Then her fingers found their way up to the necklace under her pendant. Her smile moved to her attention when her index finger rubbed the underbelly of the emerald leaf.

Strolling around the plaza, her eyes moved between buildings and vendor carts, watching the people pass by. Rena couldn’t help but gaze longer at the couples, arm in arm, bliss written across their faces. Some were sharing ice cream or a crepe from one of the vendors around the fountain. They looked happy.

She chastised her envy and averted her eyes. As she looked left, a sign in particular caught her attention.

“Fortune telling, huh?” Rena tilted her head. She advanced toward the tiny shop, eyes still glued to the sign. “I wonder how accurate the fortunes are.”

Pushing the door open with one hand, she was welcomed by darkness. She stopped in the doorway, not wanting to lose the comfort of sunshine. Her eyes caught the dancing candlelight in the back of the room and nothing more. She waited, expecting an invitation, but didn’t receive one, so stayed where she was.

She pulled the skin of her lip with her teeth and searched for signs of a moving figure from within the room. She had always found fortune houses to be dark and scary, and she wondered why anybody would want that kind of atmosphere. Alen took her to one in Salva several years ago and the fortuneteller had a fake eye. She chuckled as she recalled having fled at the very sight of it, and wondered why he hadn’t, too.

Her hand tightened on the doorknob, and she refused to let go.

A scent floated past her and her nose wriggled from the bitter aroma of cherakol and something else that she couldn’t quite place. A sneeze escaped her and she caught quick movement from next to the candle.

“My child,” came an old and raspy voice, “there’s no need to linger in the doorway. Please, come in.”

Although wary, Rena stepped in and closed the door behind her. It made a small click and all outside light disappeared. She shuffled across the floor, eyes fastened to the hooded figure seated at a circular table. The room itself was big enough only for the fortuneteller and a second person.

“Have a seat,” a bony hand emerged from out of the sleeve of a dark, thick cloak and gestured to the chair in front of Rena.

“Oh.” The Arlian girl fumbled for the back of the chair and pulled on it. She listened as it skid across the floor and then sat. A decorated glass ball perched on an iron stand was in the middle of the table.

The fingernails on the bony hand were long and curled. They tapped against the velvet tablecloth, which was almost camouflaged by the darkness. The candle that Rena had seen before was, in fact, settled onto a long pole, and there was another in the corner behind the fortuneteller. A trail of melted wax rolled down the side of each wick.

“I am Baba, master fortuneteller. Now, my child,” Rena jumped at the voice, but gave it her full attention, “what would you like to know?”

The voice was female—at least Rena thought so—but sounded old and musty, like the fortune house. She wondered if all of these places wore the same stereotypes. Maybe the fortunetellers were in a group that gathered one day out of the week for tea, exchanging spooky aesthetic tips and lessons on how to make the voice sound creepy to patrons.

Swallowing her fears, Rena leaned forward, mind clouded with many questions that she wanted to know the answers to, but could only choose one. It was a hard choice, her past, her future, love, finance, travel…

But some of those things were personal—too personal to divulge with a stranger, even a fortuneteller. She wondered if coming here had been a mistake.

“We’re on a quest,” Rena answered. “We’re journeying to El Continent. How will our travels be?”

Rena wanted to kick herself. Though a legitimate concern, it wasn’t as though she didn’t know the answer to that already. And why not ask something more fun? Rena just couldn’t understand herself sometimes. 

But a part of her existed that really didn’t want to know, either. If predicting how difficult the Sorcery Globe would be to destroy was as predictable as how often Rena went to the Shingo Forest, then hundreds of adventurers would’ve done it already and there wouldn’t be any need for the Warrior of Light.

But Baba the fortuneteller didn’t seem to react that same way, or in any way at all. Her hands waved over the crystal ball in a slow, fluid manner, and she hummed to herself. Rena stayed quiet and watched the old woman.

“I see troubled times…” Baba leaned down, crooked nose almost against the glass of her ball. Rena’s eyes fastened to the object, waiting for the crystal ball to take a different shape. It didn’t, and Rena wondered how Baba could see anything when _she_ couldn’t. “A great burden will be placed on your shoulders.”

“W-Well…” Rena’s eyes shifted. “How bad?”

“I see swells of storm clouds…” The waving coming from the old woman’s hands suddenly ceased, and she gasped. “Doom is upon us.”

Rena adjusted herself, feeling quite uncomfortable. “That…That sounds pretty bad…”

The young girl yelped when Baba’s wizened hands slammed against the surface of the table and shook the crystal ball until it almost teetered off of its iron stand. Baba’s chair screeched and her face was in Rena’s, the lip of the hood covering the old woman’s eyes. “There is a young man with you. He carries with him a ray of hope.”

“W-What…?” Rena leaned back, more startled by the woman’s words rather than by how close she was.

“Yes.” The fortuneteller stood erect, her arms outstretched. “This man…What he carries will be the crutch that gets us through these troubled times. Two souls intertwined within one body.”

Rena used her feet to push her chair back, frightened by Baba’s abrupt shouting and strange hand gestures. “You mean Claude? Well…he _does_ carry the Sword of Light with him…”

“He carries a soul that is not his own. It is the key to all salvation.” Baba’s face stiffened. Rena could almost make out the hollow holes for her eyes and the folds of skin across her cheeks and chin. Wisps of stringy hair poked out from under the hood. “You must stay by this man, no matter what happens. Without him, _your_ journey will come to an end.”

Rena grasped the sides of her chair, mouth agape and eyes wide. She found that she could not comprehend exactly what Baba was saying. The Arlian girl slouched under the shadow of the looming fortuneteller. Baba’s hands reached out, sharp nails glinting against the flicker of the candle, and grabbed Rena. She yelped and drew back. Her chair overturned as she sprang from it and bolted out the door. It slammed behind her, and Rena’s screams echoed in the plaza, garnering the attention of everyone in the vicinity.

Rena glanced over her shoulder as she ran, wondering if the fortuneteller had followed behind her. 

She collided against a warm body. Her head jerked and she toppled onto her butt, while the other body fell away from her, a blur of fuchsia in Rena’s view.

The impact sobered the Arlian girl immediately, and she moaned in pain and rubbed her bottom. Her eyes focused in on her victim, silently wondering if the other was all right. After Rena had concluded in her mental checklist that she was stable, she rocked forward onto her knees and crawled over to the person she had trampled.

“I’m so sorry.” Rena took folds of the fuchsia cloak into her hands, searching for the victim’s shoulders. “Are you all right?”

The body felt soft and fleshy, and when Rena rolled the victim over, she recognized the face of a woman. She grunted and her eyes fluttered open. Rena held her breath when she saw the woman’s messy light blue hair and cerulean eyes. In Rena’s childhood fantasies, she had entertained herself with the idea of having a twin—someone who led a secret life different than her own. But this wasn’t a fantasy, and this woman made Rena feel as though she were looking into a mirror. Rena forced the word “impossible” to swim through her head. She brushed the tangled mess from the woman’s face, which was strained and grimaced, while uttering strings of apologies. Looping an arm around her back, Rena used all of her weight to pull them both into a sitting position.

“Oh, please forgive me,” the Arlian girl said. “I’m really, _really_ sorry.”

“It’s all right,” the woman acknowledged with a wry smile. “I’ll be okay.”

Rena’s lips trembled, inwardly berating herself. “Are you sure? You’re not hurt?”

“No, no,” the woman slipped out from Rena’s grasp and slowly climbed to her feet. “I understand that it was an accident.”

The woman’s cloak swayed with her movements until she stood tall and erect. Bangles jingled around her arms and a strange necklace peeked out from the top fold of her cloak. Straightening her hair, the woman let it cascade over her shoulders and bosom. Rena stood, eyes still on the woman she was scared to declare a twin, and wondered if she would grow to be as beautiful as she. 

The woman reached out to gingerly take Rena’s hand. “Rena…” she began, softly, “you and your friends must get out of here. There is a great destruction coming toward Clik as we speak. I can only do so much, but I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Rena found herself unable to move. Her mind rotated in clockwork, several thoughts spiraling around her: she knew Rena’s name. Did they know each other? Was the childhood fantasy of having a twin not a fantasy? No, that couldn’t be it. Life wasn’t a fairytale, after all. But what about that destruction she mentioned? Clik was in danger?

“Please.” The woman gripped Rena’s hand tighter. “Get out of Clik. The townsfolk won’t believe me, and there is nothing I can do for them. But if you were to get caught up in the maelstrom, I don’t know what I would do.”

There were so many things Rena wanted to ask—things she demanded to know—but her mouth grasped air, not words. Her hand slipped out of the woman’s, but she couldn’t break eye contact.

“Rena!”

The woman stepped back and Rena whirled around. Claude quickly approached her, waving. A big grin spread across his face. Rena turned back to the woman to ask her to wait, perhaps introduce her to Claude, and find out what was really going on.

But the woman was gone.

Rena scanned the crowd and moved around the water fountain, seeking any trace of a fuchsia cloak or a lock of blue hair.

“Rena.” Claude laughed and took her by the hand. “What are you doing?” Despite her soft protests, he turned and led her away from the plaza. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

“Claude…” she tripped over a crack in the tile, and crashed into his back. He held her upright with one arm, and steadied her with the other. “Um…where are we going?” though her eyes were more focused on how close his chest was to her face.

He hadn’t seemed to notice her stare through his excitement. “Up the stairs,” he answered, still smiling, which sparkled in his eyes. “The view from up there is amazing.” Claude took her hand again and darted up the stairs.

With such excitement, all thoughts of the woman in fuchsia were lost.

Rena knew it was wrong, but she felt happy that it was _her_ Claude wanted to show something to and not Celine. He dropped her hand after a moment and picked up speed. She watched him turn the corner and disappear up the stairs. She couldn’t help but laugh at his childlike antics. He hadn’t seemed this happy since they first met.

“Look, look,” he pointed to the ocean when she reached the top.

Rena held her breath. Stepping past her male companion, she failed to notice the ledge until her chest hit the wooden rail. Her eyes were fixated on the glimmer of the ocean. She placed her elbows on top of the wood frame and leaned forward. The waves from the ocean appeared choppier than earlier and bounced the boats tied at the docks. The sailors rushed out to seize the two that looked as though they would come undone and float away. It was amusing to watch. People bustled in groups, a low buzz of chatter coming from them. Rena suspected that this scenery was natural for what happened in port cities. She had been too young to remember coming to Clik, and picture books couldn’t compare to its splendor.

Claude seemed to certainly be enjoying himself, and stated that his port town wasn’t as nice as Clik, but that the rocky shores and loud, crashing waves were normal. She thought to tell him about the woman she had bumped into and her foreboding words, or maybe about strange fortuneteller Baba, but one glance at the bliss on his face made her think better of it. He didn’t seem to find anything out of the ordinary with Clik, and if he wasn’t worried about being swallowed up by the sea, then Rena wouldn’t let the woman in fuchsia’s words bother her, either.

Smiling, her face directed against the breeze, Rena’s hands grabbed hold of the wooden ledge. When she leaned over far enough, she could make out the rocky bottom where waves rolled up on the cliff side below. The sound was accompanied by squawking gulls circling the sky around her. The sun hung diagonally from her position, and she laughed as she used an arm to shield herself from its blinding rays.

Soon, others joined them at the ledge top, talking with one another or mesmerized by the scenery like Rena. She beckoned for Claude to join her. His footsteps were muffled by the grass as he silently obeyed. The rail groaned when he leaned on it, and she turned her head to watch his wide eyes dart back and forth. She wondered what made Claude’s port city home so different from Clik, if port cities were all the same, anyway. She didn’t know if they were all the same. Even though Claude said so, he still acted like her—a youth who had never seen the ocean before.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” he asked, but his eyes were still on the sea.

“Uh-huh.” She smiled and closed her eyes, another gust of wind riding on her hair. For a moment, being _here_ at this particular place in time made it seem like nothing else in the world was wrong. She was here with Claude, the two of them were sharing the view together, and perhaps there would be no need to go to El after all. “It’s romantic,” she whispered.

She wondered if he had read something into the meaning of those words as he asked, “What’s that?”

Rena felt mortified for blurting something so out of the blue. Holding a hand over her mouth, she didn’t bother trying to restrain her nervous laughter and stepped away from Claude. “The view, I meant. I’m sure a lot of couples come up here.”

Claude appeared uninterested. “Oh, yeah. Probably.” He shared one of his smiles with her and turned back to the ocean. “Sure is pretty though…”

Rena’s lips turned upward at one end. Then she asked, “What’s so different from your port city and this one? They’re all the same, like you said, aren’t they?”

“Not exactly.” He ran his finger along the wooden rail. “My hometown’s not _quite_ like this. There’s a lot of pollution in the air and the water isn’t very clean.”

“Oh…” Rena returned her weight to the rail and propped her chin in one hand. She didn’t understand exactly what pollution was, but the thought of drinking unclean water made her gag. “That doesn’t sound very good. I definitely wouldn’t want to live in a place like that.”

“…Yeah…” From out of the corner of her eye, Rena could see Claude’s head droop, as well as his mood.

“Oh, Claude…” She straightened herself and grabbed his jacket sleeve. “I didn’t mean it like that. I wasn’t trying to talk bad about where you live. It’s just—”

He cut her off with a laugh, but it sounded dry and not at all like his normal laughter. “Don’t worry. I understand what you mean. I definitely wish the air was cleaner there and that things looked half as nice as they do here.” He turned on his heel and said over his shoulder, “Celine will be looking for us soon. We need to get some supplies before we head back to the ship, anyway.”

Claude descended the steps and Rena released a big sigh. She gave one final glance to the view before her. “So much for that…” she mumbled, chastising herself for ruining the mood.

After she bid the scenery goodbye, she followed him down the stairs, noting the discouragement in his eyes. Rena guessed that he missed his port city, wherever that was, even with all of the pollution and bad water. She couldn’t blame him. She had only been gone for less than a week and she already missed Arlia.

Rena shifted her attention to the approaching plaza. Less people gathered around the fountain and the strange woman in fuchsia wasn’t there, not that Rena had expected her to be, but it made up for the crowds between the ice cream and crepe stands, which both had lines that circled around the circumference of the fountain.

She recognized a pointy, purple hat and a slender woman, tossing coins into the fountain. Rena giggled to herself.

“I didn’t realize that Celine was superstitious,” Rena said to Claude and jerked a thumb in the sorceress’ direction. “I wonder what she’s wishing for _._ ” Then she walked toward her and waved. “Celine,” Rena called. Celine’s head perked and Rena ran toward her.

The sorceress’ hands cupped the coins she had been throwing into the fountain. Rena, who had been concentrating on the other, had no time to react as a different weight collided with her body. She toppled forward, feeling the wind glide by her, and kissed the pavement a moment later.

“Ow…” she mumbled against the concrete, the sound of tiny footsteps escaping her. Her head was a whirl, and a stinging sensation vibrated against her hands.

“Rena,” someone moved to her side, hands on her shoulders. She was pushed into a sitting position.

“He just came from out of nowhere.” Celine knelt in front of Rena. Dazed, Rena found herself glancing back at Claude, who was directly behind her, hands on her shoulders. She almost didn’t hear Celine’s question, “Are you all right, Rena?”

Her vision shook and her mind struggled to adjust to what had taken place, but she thought she had responded with, “Uh-huh…”

“You have dirt on your face, Rena darling.” Celine leaned closer and used a thumb to brush Rena’s cheek.

From behind, Claude placed his hands under Rena’s arms and lifted her up from off the ground. She swayed and he helped steady her with one hand. 

“That was pretty rude,” he said and searched the plaza. “He could’ve at least apologized for knocking her over.”

While the sorceress and angry male companion continued to comment on her assailant’s discourtesy, Rena checked herself over, using her hands to feel her arms and legs. Arms and elbows were a little scuffed, but otherwise okay. Knees were scraped and bleeding through her socks, but that would heal. Her vision returned to normal and the wind that had been knocked from her chest came back.

Her hands patted up and down her body, and then her lips pulled into a frown.

Something was missing from the back of her dress—something she had been using to store everything important in.

She let out a winded gasp, eyes snapping open, and her hand clenched the fabric that was her dress. She cursed herself for her horrible realization.

Claude and Celine turned their attentions to her, ending their previous conversation. 

“What’s wrong, Rena?” Claude asked.

Spinning to face him with a pale face, she cried, “My bag. It’s not here.”

Celine flinched whilst Claude lunged toward at her. He clasped Rena’s shoulders, his face whiter than hers. “W-What? You’re not _serious,_ are you?”

“All of our money was in that purse.” Celine slapped her hands over her face and pulled down. “So were our snacks. Good thing that the captain has our passport, or else that would be lost, too.”

Claude seemed to be calming himself, though his eyes were dark and dangerous. He said, “I’ll bet it was that kid. He had to have stolen our money.”

Celine crossed her arms and tapped her index finger against the crook of her elbow. “If that’s the case, then we’ll need to teach that brat a lesson.”

Claude stepped away from Rena, who found herself in shock. The fault of the attack had been a child’s? Rena couldn’t understand it. 

“We’ll need to find him, first.” Claude looked at Celine and then Rena. “Do either of you remember what he looked like?”

“I’m still trying to process the fact that a child is responsible for this.” Rena sighed. “I didn’t see him at all.”

Celine’s blank stare seemed enough to conclude that she didn’t remember either. Rena bowed her head, lost in thought. Claude sighed and Celine’s eyes scanned the plaza.

“The person was definitely small…” Rena finally blurted out. “I suppose it could have been a kid, like you said. They caught me in my right side, just below my chest.” She wagged her finger at Claude. “And he had blue hair, I think.”

Returning her attention to the Arlian girl, Celine smiled. “Yes, I do believe you’re right, Rena darling.”

Skeptical, Claude said, “You’re sure?”

“Yes,” she said. “I only caught sight of him for a split second, but I’m positive that it was a child with blue hair.”

Claude whistled and nodded in understanding. His eyes wandered the plaza and he said, “Okay. Then let’s split up and look for him. Maybe the townspeople have some information on his whereabouts.”

“I’ll check the plaza,” Celine volunteered.

“Then I’ll head to the city gate.” Claude’s eyes shifted to Rena, “Do you mind looking at the dock?”

She shook her head, feeling apprehensive. “I don’t mind, but let’s meet back here in fifteen minutes. The longer we waste time, the harder it’s going to be to track him down.” Rena turned on her heel and fled to the dock.

She became a flurry of anger and guilt.

Had she been paying attention, then she would never have been pickpocketed. They were going to be delayed for the passage to El. What if the ship sat ready to depart and they _still_ hadn’t caught the child? What then? They would be left behind and she couldn’t be sure when the next ship to El would be.

“ _Ohhhh…_ ” Coming to an abrupt halt, Rena grabbed both sides of her head, clawed at her hair, and whined, “This is all my fault.”

Though they hadn’t come out and said it, Rena knew that Claude and Celine probably felt the same way.

“This is what Mom was worried about, whether or not I was responsible enough to travel with Claude to El. I guess she was right after all…” Her eyes widened. “What am I saying? Complaining about it now isn’t going to help us find the child any faster. I’ve got to put this aside and start thinking for myself. If I were a child, where would I hide?” Then, she silently scolded herself, reminded that she was, indeed, still a child.

Pushing the thought from her mind, Rena ran around behind boxes and crates, and held her breath from the foul smell of fish. She checked hiding spots, and crawled on all fours under small areas to find the little thief. Sailors gave her puzzled looks, while others pointed and chuckled. Blowing air into her cheeks, Rena pulled herself to her feet and stormed off to look elsewhere. Luckily, from what she could tell, the ship meant to leave for El looked far from ready to depart. She felt the anxious weight leave her, and thanked Tria for the ample time granted to allow her to find the boy.

Making herself appear more intimidating than what she really was, Rena interrogated several people around the dock, folding her arms tightly over her chest as she did so. Most of the sailors brushed her off, to her dismay, but a couple of romping children, who appeared to be no older than ten or eleven, were quick to answer.

“Um…” began a little girl with long, black hair tied back by a red bow. It swayed around her tiny body as she turned to a young boy. “That sounds like Ketil, doesn’t it?”

“Ketil?” Rena echoed.

“Yeah,” the young boy said. “He usually plays by himself up near the bar. He’s kind of a jerk.”

Despite the boy’s last comment, Rena temporarily forgot that this boy, Ketil, had potentially been the one to rob her. A feeling of sympathy washed over her.

“The bar?” Rena asked. “Why in Tria’s name would he play over there?”

“Because he has no friends.” The boy sniggered, lightly elbowing the girl.

“He’s too rich and stuck up to play with anyone,” the girl added.

“Oh…” but Rena’s face twisted and guilt prodded her.

The boy and the girl brushed past her, laughing as they went back to playing. Rena’s eyes fell to the ground.

“Plays by himself, huh?” she mumbled. “But if he’s so rich, why did he steal my bag? It doesn’t make any sense.” She glanced back toward the plaza. “I wonder if Claude and Celine have found him, yet. If so, I wonder how they’re treating him.”

Her guilt transitioned to worry, and she hurried back to the plaza. Tearing down the street, she silently apologized when she crashed into a couple strolling toward her and didn’t bother to stop and check on them. Moving around one of the benches that lined the sidewalk, she breathed in relief when she caught the tip of Celine’s oddly shaped hat and Claude’s blonde hair.

She gave into her body’s cries to slow her run, pleased to see that not only had her companions been waiting for her, but that they hadn’t found Ketil. Rena stopped beside them and doubled over, coughing.

“Did you find out anything?” she asked in between heavy breaths and slowly straightened herself.

Celine crossed her arms, the ends of her lips twitching, “I was just telling Claude here that the boy who robbed you is none other than the son of the richest man in town. Why he’d want your bag is beyond me.”

Rena flinched, surprised that the sorceress had learned as much as she had in fifteen minutes. “Oh…How did you find out?”

Celine circled a finger in the air. “Apparently he’s of great personage here in town, and not just for his status. He’s also a cut-purse and a brat.”

“I wanted to go and speak to his parents directly,” Claude cut in, “but no one’s home, apparently. Pretty convenient if you ask me.”

“I doubt his parents would be in on the robbery,” Celine said, but her attention shifted to Rena. “Did you discover anything new?”

The Arlian girl cleared her throat and said, “Well, I think his name is Ketil, and he usually hangs out by himself near the bar.”

“The bar?” Celine’s face now a mirrored image of what Rena’s had been upon first hearing the news. “What an odd place for a child to be playing. Who did you hear that from?”

“A couple of kids at the dock,” Rena said. “It’s just as you said, he is rich and the kids here don’t seem to like him, either.”

“Big surprise there,” Celine said.

“I wonder if there’s more to this robbery than we’re getting…” Claude looked to the sky and scratched his cheek. “Whatever. We’ll find out more about it when we catch him. Let’s go and hide by the bar. He’s bound to show up there sometime if what you heard is true.”

Rena’s eyes drifted to the seat of the bench, a little anxious about finding Ketil. Claude was normally good mannered, but he seemed viably upset at the moment. She, too, felt displeased with the child, but didn’t want to scare the boy with empty threats and excessive intimidation. Perhaps she could take control of the situation first, before the others.

But the way that Claude stormed out of the plaza, Celine close behind, made her think twice. Rena struggled to keep up, her aching muscles from the earlier run and two falls not quite stable, but their long, angry strides were too much for her. She fell behind, coughing and wheezing. Claude and Celine were too preoccupied with their angry feelings to notice.

They were halfway up the steps by the time Rena reached the bottom stair and, groaning, bolted after them. She stumbled once, but caught herself on the rail and regained her composure. She glanced up and frowned when she realized that Celine and Claude were nowhere to be seen.

“You _guuuuuuuys…_ ” She frowned. “Wait up.”

Using her weight and the rail’s position, she bounded up the stairs again, and with greater care. Her companions were already across the bridge, and Claude’s dangerous eyes were scanning the vicinity ever so precisely. Rena gulped, feeling her hands shake at his dark glare, happy that it wasn’t _her_ he was angry with.

She never wanted to be on Claude’s bad side.

Then, just as the whole scene started to play itself out, a bob of blur hair emerged from the top of a bush, and a child of ten or eleven waddled out into the open, humming a nonsensical tune that Rena could only hear after she had caught up to Celine. Claude’s hand curled into a fist, and he marched over to the child before the Arlian girl could stop him.

He slapped the hand down on Ketil’s shoulder and spun him around, and Rena could easily visualize thunderclouds and lightning above his head.

“Finally found you, you brat,” Claude pushed his face close to the boy’s.

Ketil frantically pushed the angry man away and screamed. He threw a couple of kicks and swatted at Claude, but was otherwise powerless. “Let me _go,_ ” the child screeched, flailing in the air.

In full control, Claude seized the back of the child’s collar and lifted him from the ground as a mother dog would grab the scruff of a young pup’s neck. Ketil’s legs kicked futilely, and Claude merely snorted and demanded, “Give us back the bag you stole.”

Arms dropping long enough to grasp what Claude had said, Ketil’s body hung limp in the air. His face scrunched for a second before pulling into a forced smile. 

With a dry chuckle, the boy replied, “I don’t know anything about a bag.”

He instantly swallowed his smile when Claude, through gritted teeth and hard eyes, calmly argued, “Oh, but I believe you _do_ know something about the bag. And if you decide to _lie_ to us…” For some reason, Claude didn’t see the need to finish that sentence.

So Rena finished it for him, but not in the way that either Celine or Claude had probably predicted.

“Claude, put that boy down right _now._ ”

Spinning to meet the furious eyes of Rena Lanford, he stared for only a moment and didn’t appear ready to defy her. She assumed that it was the fear of having to face her wrath and being thoroughly executed. Claude stammered, courage failing and eyes falling, but set Ketil gently onto the ground. The child scampered away, and looked quite ready to flee the scene.

“Don’t even think about it, kid,” Celine warned. Surprisingly enough, Ketil obeyed.

Claude, on the other hand, arguably gestured toward the boy, but managed to calm himself. “Rena, why? He _has_ your bag.”

Rena took her time walking toward to Ketil. “You won’t get anywhere by threatening him.” Kneeling behind the child, she waited until he acknowledged her presence, whether he wanted to or not. “Listen, it’s all right if you don’t know anything about the bag but if you _do_ know something, I’d appreciate it if you told us.” She waited, but he remained silent. However, through his silence, she did not fail to catch his trembling form and fidgeting. Rena continued, “We’re on a journey, and we need money to travel and our food to eat. If we don’t have money, then we’ll be stuck here and we won’t have our food for the return trip. Do you understand?”

“Travelers?” The child’s face lit up with protest. “That can’t be right. You’re way too poor to be travelers. You didn’t have enough mon—” eyes widening in horror, Ketil slapped his hands over his mouth, face as red as Rena’s cape. Evidently more ashamed that he had given himself away rather than the fact that he had really stolen the bag, he shuffled away from the accusing party until Celine sidestepped in front of him to block his retreat.

“So it _was_ you…” Claude brushed past Rena, despite her attempt to stop him.

With a knee-jerk reaction, Ketil swatted his hands at the oncoming man and screamed in terror. Rena latched onto Claude’s arm and pulled him back.

“Claude,” she grunted against his shifting weight. “You’re scaring him.”

To her amazement, he stopped and dropped his arms to his sides. She toppled, but caught herself against him. His eyes remained clouded in anger and, though he made no further movements against the child, his displeasure had all but faded. She knew that if she didn’t resolve the situation soon, Claude would do it himself.

Shuffling around Claude, she advanced toward Ketil again, hoping that Claude’s last scare wouldn’t prompt him to run away, of course, it seemed that Celine would keep that from happening. Rena hoped that it wouldn’t involve a lightning strike to the boy’s head.

She forced a smile and took slow steps. “We aren’t mad at you. But, we would like to know why you took the bag. Did you want to buy something?”

Much to her relief, he didn’t try to flee. He merely crossed his arms and smirked. “I can buy anything I want.”

Silence fell over the area and a growl combined with a sigh escaped from the back of Claude’s throat. Ketil continued to smile, obviously proud of himself, and not quite aware of how close he was to experiencing untold pain.

“So…” Celine’s stance tightened, and Rena could almost see the sparks of lightning begin at her clenched fingertips, “Then _why?_ ”

“To play a trick on you.” Ketil appeared triumphant. His words flabbergasted Rena, but he seemed so proud of himself that he didn’t realize the error of his actions. “I’m not just a rich kid, you know. I’m a _sailor._ A big, macho one. I can do whatever I want.”

Rena could hear knuckles crack behind her, and she figured that it was Claude. Celine mumbled incoherent words and the tips of her hair moved against nonexistent wind. At this point, Rena had no idea how to respond to the child before his untimely demise.

“ _What?_ ” Claude hissed.

“Yup.” Ketil bobbed his head up and down. “So I guess that means I fooled you, huh?”

“I don’t believe this.” Celine stopped her incantation, the wind and sparks dying down. “You’re telling me that _that’s_ the reason you took the bag?”

“Well…” unexpectedly, the child shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and unfolded his arms from his chest. “Nobody wants to play with me. It’s because I’m rich. They think I’m too stuck up. My mom and dad won’t let me play with anyone, either. And they said that I can’t be a sailor.” His tiny hands clenched together and he yelled, “If mom and dad would just understand that I’m grown up now and that I can do things on my own, I’m sure they’d let Captain Morris teach me how to be a sailor.”

“Oh, brother…” Claude mumbled and stepped in next to Rena, causing Ketil to flinch from his unexpected closeness.

Rena kept her eyes on the boy. “At least we understand now,” she said before giving her friends each a look. “Right? That’s why he took the bag. No harm done.”

“No harm?” Claude echoed, staring at Rena as though she were speaking a different language, or had made a horrible confession. “We could’ve missed our boat if we hadn’t find him, you know.” Then he knelt down in front of Ketil. “All right, look. As a man, I understand how you feel. I fought my dad for my independence, too. I also know how you want to prove that you can do things on your own so that your parents will respect you.” His lips twisted, as though recalling a painful memory. “But…wrong is still wrong. What do you think that a great man stands for? A great man doesn’t make trouble for or burden other people. A great man helps people and always tries to do what’s right.”

At the end of Claude’s lecture, Ketil appeared ready to cry. Rena was about to protest, but one look from Celine made her resist.

“So what should we do with him?” Celine closed her eyes and massaged her temples with her fingers. “We can’t just let him get away with this without consequence.”

Claude didn’t appear to be in a mood to dance around the problem, either. He stood and said, “I think we should start with getting the bag back.”

Ketil’s hand shoved itself into his back pocket, and withdrew a rather bulky object. Rena gasped when she saw her small, pink bag. Slouching, the boy shuffled to Rena and offered it up to her.

“I’m sorry,” his words were barely audible, but the guilt in his eyes was more than enough for Rena. She gingerly took the bag and attached it to her belt on the back of her dress. “I want to be a great man, so I’ll give this back to you.”

“Thank you,” she said and smiled.

Claude rubbed his chin, staring off into the distance. “What next?”

Rena looked from him to Celine and said, “I think he’s learned his lesson, but, why don’t we have him show us around the city before our ship departs?”

Claude didn’t appear to like that suggestion. “Come again?”

“Yeah. Besides, I was checking the progress of our ship while I was down at the dock, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be ready to set sail anytime soon.” Kneeling down in front of Ketil, Rena asked, “So how about it? You want to be our tour guide around Clik until our ship departs?”

Though her suggestion, she couldn’t help but wonder, from the look on Ketil’s face, if _she_ wasn’t the strange one.

But it wasn’t just Ketil. Claude and Celine were without words.

“Rena darling,” Celine’s arms were crossed, and she tapped a finger against her elbow. “You’re spoiling the child. You don’t reward a pickpocket. Besides, if you had wanted a tour guide, I’ve spent enough time in Clik to walk it blindfolded.”

Before Rena could respond, Ketil was already motivating himself with Rena’s request. “Really? A tour guide? A great man would be a tour guide, too, right?”

“Well…” Claude blew a strand of hair from his face, “I suppose it’s not much of a punishment but…” Then he smiled. “Yeah, a great man would do that.”

“At least we’ll get a better look at Clik,” Rena said and turned back to Ketil. “My name is Rena,” she said with a smile. “What’s yours?”

“Ketil,” he said, though Rena had already known all along.

“I’m Claude.” He gave a half smile, his mood seeming to calm, much to Rena’s relief. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“And I’m Celine.” Much like their male companion, Celine wasn’t looking the least bit happy about all of it, but she passed her façade off very well.

They would get over it, Rena convinced herself. She stood straight and grinned at the boy. “So where first, Mr. Tour Guide?”


	9. The Tour Guide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ketil shows his new friends around the Port City of Clik, to which Rena takes much delight. Claude and Celine, on the other hand, can't shake the feeling that something is terribly, terribly wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Alas, Star Ocean 2/EX remains out of my grasp for all eternity. Such sadness.
> 
> By the way, I've tried natto and I enjoy it very much. I even got to try it authentically during my trip to Japan :) Claude is just being picky.

**\/\/\/**

**An Ocean of Mirrors**

**Chapter Nine**

**The Tour Guide**

**\/\/\/**

As Claude expected of a child of ten, Ketil’s tour narration was hasty and jumbled. He still failed to see this as a fitting punishment for the boy, but it brought joy to Rena’s face, so he thought better of protesting.

Deep down, she was just a child, too.

Claude’s face contorted, and he didn’t want anyone else to see. Rena might not have known it, but she was lucky to have a childhood with childhood friends. Ever since he had been young, all he could remember was the long shadow of his father and having to grow up like him. His father wasn’t like other fathers, and his idea of “fun” was exploring new planets. 

Claude still didn’t understand his father’s fascination with Milocinia.

When Claude joined the junior high baseball team, Fredrick’s father had been the one who taught him how to swing a bat. Claude’s mother was always supportive but, no offense, she was a _girl._

He chuckled. That was the excuse for young boys. Moms couldn’t teach their sons how to play because it was a _man’s_ sport, not a girl’s. Looking back, he thought about how childish he used to be, especially after he found out just how masculine Ilia Silvestri-Kenni was.

If Rena was happy taking a make-believe tour with Ketil, then Claude would play along. And, even if Celine didn’t look the part, he suspected she was having fun, too. Ketil showed them most everything that they had already seen before, from the bridge with running water to the heights of Clik where Claude and Rena had shared the view together.

“This is my house,” Ketil pointed to the top of a hill.

Claude and the others had to crane their necks to see the very tip-top of the roof. Ketil certainly hadn’t been lying when he said that he was rich. Up close, the house was even more grandiose than from the bottom of the hill. Stone steps curled around the hillside until they disappeared and cobblestone inlay took their place. Bay windows hung from each corner of the house, and the bottom windows sheltered purple and yellow flowers. The red roof positioned itself like an umbrella over the four corners, a blue door peeking out from the shadows. Claude would have thought the house empty, but the chimney was lively, smoke clouds billowing into the sky. He recalled Alen’s mansion and weighed out which house was nicer, although, he felt partial to the ocean and it biased his decision.

“The nanny will be home right about now,” Ketil gestured to the active chimney. “Father’s away on business and Mother’s in the plaza somewhere.”

“I’d like to meet your mother, Ketil,” Rena said and giggled.

Ketil didn’t say anything as he took them down to the plaza.

“This is Fountain Square Plaza,” he informed. With a smile, he added, “Bet you didn’t know _that,_ Rena.”

“Oh no, I didn’t.” She shook her head. “You’re very smart, Ketil.”

“She doesn’t have to pretend to be nice to him,” Celine whispered in Claude’s ear.

“Just let her have her fun,” he said. “We won’t be having much of that once we reach El, or so I’ve heard.”

Celine turned to Rena and Ketil, who were advancing toward the plaza. “I suppose he _is_ cute. I just didn’t grow up around normal children, that’s all. Not that I consider Ketil’s behavior _normal._ I never stole money from people. But, like Ketil, I’m born to a different kind of family. I didn’t have many friends growing up and those I did have, well…” she trailed off.

Claude’s eyebrows lifted. “You, Celine?”

Her smile looked painful, and she rubbed her hands together. “Yes, me.”

“That’s not something I expected to hear.”

One of her hands moved to a single lock that had fallen over her shoulder. She twirled it with two fingers and she looked away from him. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me, Claude darling.”

He nodded. It seemed that there were many things that drew him together with Celine and Rena. They shared many of the same characteristics. Rena had had many friends growing up, unlike Celine and himself, and there was no cure for loneliness. He knew that very well.

And even for a child like Ketil, although wrong to steal, Claude knew he was lashing out in hopes that someone would notice. It was understandable, but there had to be a more effective way of getting someone’s attention.

He was forced back into reality when he thought he heard thunder and his body swayed as though he were on an unsteady ship in the middle of a storm.

“Did you feel that?” he asked, his voice heightened.

Celine’s eyes scanned the town, and Claude followed her gaze. He expected reactions, but everyone had shaken it off like a cold. 

“That’s odd…” he heard her whisper.

“Claude…” he spun to face Rena, who did not hide her worry. “What was that?”

“I don’t know.” His eyes fell to the child. “Did you feel anything, Ketil?”

“Not really,” he shrugged. “Anyway, we should hit up some of the shops I was telling you about, Rena.”

Resilient as always, the Arlian girl drew her attention back to the boy. Claude, on the other hand, couldn’t shake his worry. Celine echoed that sentiment.

“That’s not normal,” the sorceress said into his ear. “The earthquakes around Cross have become more frequent as of late. We should keep on our toes.”

“I agree,” he nodded. The ensign turned back and expected to find the two still talking, but was amazed to find Rena and Ketil leaving without them. “Hey, wait for us.”

“The nerve of those two.” Celine’s clicking heels sped across the cobblestone.

Claude offered a weak smile to no one before joining them. 

“My mother and father take me to this restaurant all the time.” Ketil pushed through a set of doors.

Rena held it open for Claude and Celine.

Nothing appeared different from the other fancy restaurants that Claude had seen on earth. Chefs rushed back and forth, wheeling carts covered with decorated plates around the room. Some shouted orders, and others made their way up the spiraling staircase in the middle of the room. Claude was curious to see what was up there.

Pictures hung in all corners of the room, snapshots of stories from the restaurant’s past. He found himself surprised that Expel had such technology like photography, but knew nothing of the machines from his world.

He wondered if the photographs could be attributed to Heraldic Magic. If he had known that, one day, he’d be coming to a planet where it existed, he would’ve taken more time to ask his mother about her research, instead of being jealous over it.

A heavyset chef, whom Claude assumed was the head of the restaurant given his slightly different uniform, greeted them at the door, but gave special attention to Ketil.

“Who are you with today?” he asked the boy.

Ketil jerked a thumb over his shoulder, “I’m giving them a tour of Clik. Do you think Jaid will mind letting us have some of what he’s making in the kitchen?”

Standing taller, the head chef cast them all smiles and kindly nodded his head. “Any friends of Ketil are friends of mine. Go ahead and help yourselves.”

“Oh, wonderful,” Rena clapped her hands together. Claude noticed the hunger in her eyes. “I’m starving.”

The head chef laughed. “Just tell him I said it was all right, okay?” He made a gesture with his hand and Claude looked to his left. There was a door beside him.

“Through there?” the ensign asked.

“Yup. Please watch your step.”

Ketil moved through first, followed by a chatty Rena, and Celine. Claude took his time going in, his attention drawn to the spiraling staircase. A waiter descended and wiped a bead of sweat from his chin. The head chef and the waiter conversed about something that Claude couldn’t quite hear, so he joined his friends inside the kitchen.

“—od’s on the stove there,” was what he caught from the cook when he pushed the swinging door open.

“Well, what should we try?” Ketil hopped up and down, too short to see anything on the stove.

“I thought the Tom Yum Soup sounded appetizing,” Celine leaned over a bubbling pot.

“They _all_ are appetizing,” Jaid the cook said with a pompous smile. “Naturally. I made everything myself. Here at the Captain’s Cabin, we use every ingredient and serve any dish you can think of.” He handed a large spoon to Celine and she dunked it into the soup.

She brought it to her lips and took a small and dainty slurp before closing her eyes. Claude watched her, as did Rena and Ketil.

“Well?” Rena asked after a moment of silence passed between them. “How is it?”

“Absolutely magnificent,” Celine praised, sipping the rest of the soup on her spoon. “I haven’t had cooking this good in a while. It’s hard always being on the road, and now I’m quite regretful I never stopped in during my times in Clik.”

“As you should be.” Jaid waved his wrist at her and turned away.

Claude caught Celine’s glare, but thought he had been the only one.

Rena giggled and shifted her attention to Claude. “What will you have?”

He shrugged. “What are my choices?”

She ticked the list off on her fingers, “Tom Yum Soup, Natto, and Lutefisk.”

He made a wry face, not recognizing anything on the menu, save Natto, and he hated Natto. It was almost mortifying that the list was too fancy to understand.

“Um…” Nothing sounded good, not that he knew what two of the dishes were. “I’ll have some of what Celine had.”

Rena pouted. “You’re not adventurous at all, Claude. You should try your own thing.” She turned to Ketil, “How about you?”

“I liked the Lutefisk last time I tried it.”

Jaid handed Claude a spoon and Ketil a fork. Claude shuffled to the right to let the small boy in.

“Here, Ketil,” he reached down and took the fork from him. “I’ll get it for you.”

He looked away, sheepishly. “Thanks, Claude.”

Claude looked down at the plate and recognized the distinct shape of a fish. He was relieved that the Lutefisk was something earthly relatable instead of being a piece of swamp moss. The word “Lutefisk” reminded him of swamp moss, wherever that notion had come from, anyway. 

He plunged the fork into the Lutefisk and flaked off a small piece, then leaned down and handed the fork over to the boy. “Here you go.” 

Ketil shoved the fork in his mouth with a sound of pleasure. His face brightened and he licked the end of the utensil, even though there was nothing left on it. Claude took some Tom Yum Soup for himself.

Sticking the spoon in his mouth, he immediately recognized the taste of coconut milk, and felt his cheeks warm from the spiciness. He swallowed and chewed on the lemongrass and leaves that were left on his tongue. He nodded in semi-approval, taking a moment to clear his head from the ever growing heat of the soup.

“Well, Claude?” Rena held a spoon of her own and stood over another pot. “Do you like it?”

He continued to nod, gasped, and then whispered, “It’s very spicy.”

“Of course it is.” Jaid placed his hands on his hips. “That was my intention.”

“That’s nice.” Claude pushed the spoon toward him. “Can I have some water now?”

“Water doesn’t make soup any less spicy, Claude darling,” Celine said and laughed.

Claude didn’t care. He asked for water again, though it wasn’t as calm as before. Rolling his eyes, Jaid turned to the faucet and grabbed a glass.

“What are you trying, Rena darling?” Claude heard Celine ask, but his attention was sold strictly to the water filling up in the glass. His tongue burned something fierce.

“The Natto looks really good,” Rena said.

Claude wanted to stop her—tell her that Natto was disgusting and try to spare her the path of regret, but the water rose higher in the glass, and his tongue yearned for relief. A pause passed through the room and then Ketil laughed.

“Here,” Jaid handed the glass to Claude, who snatched it from him and immediately downed its contents. 

Once confident that he would be better, he turned to Rena, whose head drooped, the spoon held high above her head. Her other hand clutched her chest.

Ketil’s laughs went high-pitched and Celine took Rena’s shoulder. 

“Rena.” She shook the Arlian girl, wearing a face of worry. “Rena darling, are you all right?”

The color drained from Jaid’s face as he watched the scene play out. “No one has ever _died_ from my cooking,” he protested, as though his assurance would make things better. It didn’t. “But perhaps she’s allergic.”

“Rena…?” Claude held the empty glass in one hand, his eyes glued to the fidgeting girl. He knew he should have warned her about the deadly Natto sooner.

Rena quickly set the spoon on the stove and threw her head back. Her crimson face came accompanied with watering eyes and a scrunched nose. Claude, although not meaning to, couldn’t help but laugh along with Ketil. He had made the same face the first time he tried Natto. Celine stepped back as Rena’s protesting eyes met the cook’s, who appeared confused. She held her hand over her mouth.

“ _Ugh._ Those fermented soybeans are strong,” she said into her hand. “I…I think my breath smells…”

Ketil doubled over, his hyena laughter echoing painfully in the small confines of the room. Even Celine couldn’t help but lose her composure to unstifled sniggering. 

“I guess you won’t be able to kiss anyone now,” Ketil said through laughter.

Rena jolted and she glanced at Claude. But as quickly as she had looked, she turned away. She slapped her hands over her mouth again and said into them, “Let’s go.”

Celine squeezed Rena’s shoulder. “Rena darling, we’ll just find something yummy to sweeten your breath with. It’s not a big deal.”

Rena whimpered and Celine led her out of the kitchen. Claude turned to Jaid, who looked displeased and commented on Rena’s lack of taste in food, and handed the glass back, “Thank you.”

Jaid snatched the glass and turned to his stove. Waiting for Ketil to move through the swinging doors, Claude followed suit and heard the head chef’s voice.

“Did you enjoy the food? Oh, I’m sure you did.”

Rena stood in front of him, hands still covering her mouth. She gave a loud wail that was mostly absorbed into her palms, and quickly left the restaurant, Celine not far behind.

“Hee, hee,” Ketil turned from the retreating girls and waved to the head chef. “Thanks, Horace. Bye until next time.”

The head chef returned the wave and said, “Come again, please.”

“That was really funny,” Ketil told Claude on the way out. “Rena’s reaction was the best.”

“I doubt that she’d agree,” though Claude’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “So the head chef’s name is Horace? Does he own the restaurant?”

Ketil shrugged. “He’s friends with my mom, so that’s why he’s nice to me.”

“Oh, I doubt that.” Claude patted Ketil’s back. “He genuinely seems to like you. Why else would he let us all try food for free? He knew we weren’t going to buy anything.”

The child stared at the ground as they walked, but the ensign saw the slightest hint of a smile.

Ketil brought them inside of the High Seas Fashion clothing store, much to Celine’s excitement. Rena’s hands remained fastened to her mouth, perusing the wares away from the group. Celine’s eyes burned into a pair of red high heels in the far back. Shopping wasn’t a pastime of Claude’s, and he wandered in and out of aisles, casting semi-interested glances at shirts and pants. 

He concluded that the majority of the merchandise was gaudy and too brightly colored for his tastes. A baby blue cotton shirt had gauged his approval until he saw the ruffle cravat sewn at the top.

“What we really need is camping equipment,” he mumbled to himself.

“Psst, Claude…” The ensign whirled around and saw Ketil hovering around a clearance shelf. “I found something I think you should try on.”

“Me?” Claude foolishly pointed to himself.

Ketil’s head bobbed up and down. “Yeah.”

“What are you two whispering about?” Celine appeared behind them, a Cheshire grin on her face.

“Claude should try this outfit on,” Ketil told her, but didn’t specify which outfit it was.

“What about Claude?” Then Rena appeared, but she no longer covered her mouth.

Claude could feel the walls slowly closing in on him.

“Don’t you think that Claude should try an outfit on?” Ketil pressed and gestured to an outfit the ensign could not see.

Rena’s eyes twinkled with something Claude classified as not honorable. Apparently, she could see the outfit. “Yeah, that would be perfect. Come on, Claude.”

Ketil’s eyes mirrored the same dishonor. “Yeah, Claude.”

“We’ve got you surrounded, Claude darling.” Celine snaked her arm through the crook of his elbow.

The ensign brushed them aside and sighed. “All right, all right…” Then, in a lower voice, “I hope I look good in it at least.” He walked to the child and scanned the clearance shelf. “Which outfit, Ketil?”

“This one,” Ketil tapped a little finger on top of a folded shirt and Claude grimaced, seeing pain in his future.

“I…” Claude vigorously shook his head. “No.”

“Come _oooon._ ” Ketil grabbed the hem of Claude’s jacket. “ _Pleeease?_ ”

He yanked out of the boy’s grip and deflected Celine’s lingering hand. “This is stupid. No.”

“No one will laugh, Claude darling,” Celine smiled. “We promise.”

Claude looked from her, to Rena, then back to Ketil. He struggled to bring his attention back to the horror of clothes the child had asked him to wear.

Regardless, he didn’t want to be the downer of the group. “All right…” He stared long and hard at them. “As long as you promise.” 

“We do, we do.” Ketil grinned.

Wordlessly, Claude scooped the bundle up into his arms and stepped into the fitting room.

In the duration of the six or seven minutes he spent enclosed in the small room, he had sighed more than twenty times. Slipping his arm through the silly shirt his friends had made him try on, he was beyond afraid of what he’d look like in the mirror. His clothes hung in the corner and he put on the mess of fabric that he hoped to _never_ have to wear again after this. He knew he shouldn’t even be wearing the outfit at all, but he was bad under peer pressure.

“You ready yet, Claude?” Ketil’s voice chirped from the other side of the curtain.

“Yeah,” he mumbled back, finally finding the courage to gaze into the mirror.

He looked stupid.

Really… _really_ stupid.

Holding his breath, he pulled back the curtain and stepped out into the open, stretching his arms out for viewing. As expected, his friends eagerly awaited his appearance. He bowed his head in shame. He hated purple and pink—especially on him. He wanted to escape from the long sleeved, amethyst colored shirt with yellow pom-poms sewn down the middle and the ugly bubblegum pink pants. As though that hadn’t been the worst of it, pink dress shoes accompanied the outfit nicely.

…Not nicely for him.

And, as expected, his friends all burst out laughing. Even the manager, customers, and employees were laughing. He honestly, _honestly_ hated life at that moment.

“That’s funny.” Ketil doubled over.

The side-splitting laughter deemed itself too much for Rena, who made out in between breaths, “Take it off—I can’t stop laughing.”

And ever diligent Celine wasn’t even trying to restrain herself. “It’s hurting my stomach. That is so funny.”

Claude felt capable of taking a joke—usually, at least. But he didn’t find this particular joke to be humorous. His eyes darkened and he could feel the end of his eyebrow twitching.

“You promised you weren’t going to laugh,” he spat. “I should’ve known you guys were lying.”

He stomped back into the dressing room, fingers already locked around the yellow pom-pom to unbutton it.

“Oh, Claude darling,” he heard the sorceress, “please don’t be angry…Come back out for another look, all right? We won’t laugh this time.”

Then he heard sniggering.

He was far faster taking off the clothes than he had been putting them on. Relieved to be back in his uniform, Claude pushed his hair back and took a good, long look in the mirror to console himself that he still was handsome no matter what any silly, old outfit did to ruin his reputation. Cursing the horrendous outfit, he shoved it into a corner, and ripped the curtain open.

Nobody said anything when he stepped out of the changing room, a dark storm cloud embracing him.

“I’m really sorry,” little, naïve Ketil, who should’ve known better than to speak, apologized.

But it granted an opening for the others, who didn’t appear aware of how Claude really felt at that moment.

“Me too,” Rena seemed genuine. He knew it. But he was still pissed. “I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

“I’m sorry, Claude darling. Should I buy you an ice cream cone to make up for it?”

Claude rolled his eyes. He told himself not to be thin-skinned. He told himself that people didn’t like those who couldn’t take a joke. It was something Jen used to berate him for. According to her, he could dish it out, but never take it. His father couldn’t take a joke, either, and Claude seemed to had taken after him in that respect.

“It’s fine,” he replied through gritted teeth. “But we should be heading to the dock soon to check on the captain.”

“Actually, an ice cream does sound good.” Rena turned to Celine and gestured to her mouth. Claude figured that she was referring to her Natto breath, which he had made fun of less than she to his clown clothes. He immediately regretted his kindness and wished he had laughed. Laughed and laughed and laughed for ten straight minutes.

“Let’s stop at the ice cream stand,” Celine said.

“Oh, yeah.” Ketil jumped up and down. “I love ice cream.”

Following the girls out of the tailor shop, Ketil took off first to the vendor on the other side of the fountain. Rena and Celine were quick to catch up, and cast out orders to the worker. Claude joined them, hands in his pockets. He saw the woman scoop out ice cream and hand it to each of the girls and then to Ketil. She shifted her gaze to Claude.

“What will you have, sir?”

“I’m all right.” He waved her away.

“Come on, Claude,” Rena protested, staring at him. “I’ll even buy it for you.”

“Or me,” Ketil cut in. “Come on, Claude, have some ice cream with us.”

“I _did_ offer in the first place.” Celine pushed her cone in his face.

Claude thought about responding, but didn’t know what was appropriate to say that wouldn’t hurt their feelings or make them angry. So he said nothing.

“I hope you like orange sherbet.” Rena turned to the vendor and ordered another cone.

“Rena.” Claude dug into his pockets before she could get too far with her order. “I can pay for it myself.” Then he remembered that he didn’t currently possess any FOL. He doubted that the vendor would barter for a little bit of ice cream, either.

She ignored him. “Here you are,” she dropped the bills into the vendor’s hands and Claude’s arm fell to his side.

“Thank you, have a wonderful day.” The vendor handed the cone to Rena, who passed it to Claude.

He saw her big smile, and knew that she had gotten the upper hand. He tried to keep his lips from returning the smile, and forced himself to look as angry as he could for as long as possible. When no one watched him, he took a hefty bite of the sherbet, which he enjoyed thoroughly, but kept that pleasure to himself.

The four continued their stroll down to the harbor. Claude assumed that both Celine and Rena were thinking of ways to find out if the ship was ready to depart without being rude to Ketil. Claude suspected that the child wouldn’t be as giddy when he discovered that his new-found friends had to leave. Ketil finished his cone first and Rena politely instructed him to wipe his mouth.

“So, how’s your breath, Rena?” the sorceress said with a chuckle, and gently prodded Rena in the ribs with her elbow.

“Oh, you…” but the Arlian girl laughed, too.

Two children darted in front of the group.

Rena’s attention whirled on them and Ketil discreetly sidestepped away.

“Uh…um…” he mumbled, and scratched behind his ear.

Rena took him by the arm, and said in a hard tone, “Ketil…”

The child’s eyes met her stern ones. Claude glanced at the children, a boy and a girl about Ketil’s age, who snickered and whispered to each other. The little girl had short black hair adorned with a bright red bow. Although in a dress, she didn’t appear concerned about dirtying it—which it was—while playing. She gripped a red ball, and the boy—a brunette with dirt on his cheeks and hands—stood taller than Ketil. Every so often, one of the children would point at Ketil and turn away.

“I think I’m beginning to see the bigger picture here,” Claude said, but no one seemed to hear.

“All right, all right.” Ketil straightened himself as Rena released him.

Taking control, Claude offered a kind smile and approached the children. “Hey kids, how about playing with Ketil for a while?”

He soon swallowed that smile when the boy spat on the ground and shook his head. “Ketil? No way.”

The girl chimed, “We don’t play with rich kids.”

That being the last response he expected, Claude tried to interpret the situation successfully. Perhaps all children from Clik were brats, but it wasn’t as though their reaction hadn’t been warranted. Ketil had the amazing reputation of being a pickpocket and a brat himself.   

“That’s no reason to say no.” The ensign frowned.

“Even our moms and dads said to stay away from him,” the boy continued. “They said not to play with that rich kid.”

“That’s incredibly unfair,” Rena said and stood beside Claude. “Ketil’s a very nice boy, and you’d be able to see that, too, if only you would play with him.”

“And besides,” Claude gestured to Ketil, “he’s wanted to play with you guys for a long time.”

Ketil’s eyes widened, as though Claude had divulged his biggest secret. His face flushed and he tried to pull his head under the collar of his shirt, like a turtle in hiding.

The other boy quirked an eyebrow, his hard attitude slowly disintegrating under Claude’s words. “R-Really?” Then his eyes fell on Ketil, who pulled his arms in through the sleeves next.

“Stop that,” Rena scolded and yanked his shirt down properly. He yelped in reply.

“That’s right,” Claude nodded and ignored what was happening behind him. Once Rena straightened the child out, he pointed to the children and said, “Go on, Ketil. Tell them.”

All attention focused on Ketil, who fidgeted. His eyes vacillated from Rena to the ensign, as though they would offer him the answers he needed in order to make the next move. 

But when nothing of the sort happened, he lowered his head and whispered, “Yeah.”

The girl and boy were silent for a moment and stared at each other. Now that everything that they had been told to believe in seemed to have crumbled, they appeared to be at a loss about what to do or say. The boy looked back to Ketil and the girl took a step toward him.

She said, “Then…let’s be friends.”

Ketil’s eyes widened. This did not appear to be something he had expected. He sought confirmation from the brunette boy and found it.

“I’ve wanted to play with you, too,” the boy confessed.

Ketil slipped away from Claude and the others to accept the invitation. The girl handed him the ball, and he stared at it like he had just been handed a prize in a contest. Claude knew that Ketil hadn’t been this happy, even when hanging around Rena, Celine and himself.

“I…Is it really okay?” Ketil asked in a near whisper.

“Yeah.” The girl stepped back. “Let’s play.”

“Good for you, Ketil.” Rena smiled. “Have fun with your new friends.”

“Rena…” Ketil pivoted and passed her the ball. “Play with us.”

She caught it, dumbly, and focused on the kids. Then, her face softened and she replied, “I have a ship to catch. I wouldn’t be able to—”

Ketil released a loud, “Awwww…” into the air. His eyebrows turned up and the ends of his lips pulled into a pout. Words seemed to fall away from her, and Rena diverted her gaze to the ball in her hands.

Claude couldn’t help but chuckle at her childlike antics. He knew she wanted to play with them, and was likely to mumble, “I’m sorry,” so he cut her off before she could and said, “Say, Rena, why don’t you stay with them for a few minutes while Celine and I go and see if the boat’s ready to depart?”

She gawked at Claude’s consideration. “But…But the ship…”

He waved her away. “I doubt they’ll leave right away. Not without us, I’d think. Go on, play with them.”

She seemed ready to protest, he felt certain, but if he left right then, he knew she’d stay. Spinning on his heel, he did exactly that, smiling from ear to ear to see her happy the way she was.

He hadn’t gotten far, only around a couple of crates and cargo, before tiny clicks reverberated in his ears and Celine fell in by his side. Claude turned to face her, her expression unreadable.

“You ready to ditch the kid?” he joked.

Celine offered a sly grin and pulled him behind a cargo crate. The contact took him aback, and he was about to protest when she said, “You must really like that girl to dote on her so much, Claude.”

His back stiffened, and he silently wished that she’d remove her arm from the crook of his elbow. 

“W…What?” he barely managed.

“You know what I mean.” She nudged his hip with hers. “I see how you always make sure she gets her way.”

When she didn’t remove her arm, Claude did it for her, and continued walking toward the bobbing ship on the other side of the dock. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, _really?_ ” She stepped in front of him, forcing him to halt in his tracks. “There was no reason to let her stay there while we checked on the ship. And there was _certainly_ no need to turn it into a second trip to go back and get her if they were ready to depart.”

Claude sighed and stared at her wearing irritation in his eyes. “Look, from this point on, we’re going to be sailing to El Continent. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t heard anything friendly about that place. This will be the last time any of us have anything to be happy about, you know. Just leave her alone and let her enjoy it.”

Celine crossed her arms and returned his irate gaze. Apparently, she didn’t respond well to intimidation. 

“So, what, she’s a child who needs to be pampered all of a sudden?” she asked.

“I didn’t say that. If you had met Rena when I did, you’d understand that she’s a sensitive girl. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something were to happen to her on account of me.” Celine laughed. Claude failed to find the humor. “What’s so funny?”

“You,” but she didn’t sober up. In between bouts of laughter, she said, “Treating her like a child.”

“Excuse me?”

To his amazement, she ceased laughing. “Rena’s not a child, Claude. She’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself. You treating her like a child, making sure she’s always happy or always has what she needs isn’t what Rena wants.”

Her words sank into his mind and he paused to interpret them. He had always tried to give Jen what she wanted—let her have her way. Could it have been possible he had done it all wrong? He raked his hands through his hair, catching his scalp rougher than planned. “I’m not treating her like a child.”

Celine poked him in the chest. “Tell you what. I’m older than you, right? Just like how you’re older than her. I’m going to start treating you exactly how you treat her—and only because you’re _younger_ than me.”

Claude didn’t say anything, but he didn’t take his eyes away from her, either. Somehow, he couldn’t help but feel like this was no longer about leaving her to play with Ketil and the others. Could it have been related to what happened back in Cross Cave?

Celine continued, “Think about it, Claude darling. And if you find that you’re treating her like a child because you see her as a child, then I’m going to slap you upside the head.” She finished off with a high pitched laugh. “Understand?”

He rolled his eyes. “We also need to pick up camping equipment. I don’t really relish the idea of sleeping on a bed of rocks again.”

“I’ve already taken care of that for us,” she waved her wrist at him. “Earlier, the first time we split up.”

His irritation dissolved and he felt grateful. Celine could be quite unusual. “Really? What did you pick up? Where is it?”

She positioned her body toward their intended boat. “I have it on hold at the store. I’ve been meaning to mention it, but I suppose we got a little caught up with Ketil.”

Claude felt a sickly weight in his stomach. “I wish you hadn’t bought anything before Rena and I could see it. What if it’s too much to carry? I don’t exactly have any FOL on me, so I can’t pay you back.”

“I didn’t _buy_ anything yet.” She crossed her arms and pressed her lips together. “I only put together the bare essentials. Whatever you don’t want, you can put back. But don’t worry about the price, Claude darling. If you really need it, but can’t afford it, I don’t mind footing the bill on some teensy, weensy little thing.” She finished with a smile Claude didn’t like. “Oh, and I like how you _skillfully_ changed the subject. Because you thought you did it so well, I’ll humor you and drop the topic of Rena.”

Heat hit his cheeks and he brusquely made his way to the edge of the dock. “I appreciate your thoughtfulness on both Rena and the camping equipment. We’ll pick it up after we speak to the captain.”

The captain stood where Claude and the others left him. He talked to another sailor while a line of crewmen loaded cargo onto the boat. Claude waited impatiently behind the older man, staring at him in order to avoid having to talk to Celine.

It didn’t take long before the captain noticed him and the sailor walked away.

“Hey, it’s you again,” the captain greeted.

Claude returned the gesture. “So, are we ready to shove off?”

“Almost. We’ve got a couple pieces of large cargo that we’re bringing on board right now, but after that, it’s out to sea.”

“That’s good to hear,” Celine said from behind.

“I’d make sure you don’t have anything left to do in town first, though,” the captain added. “You know, last minute purchases or check-ups. That kind of stuff.”

“Funny that you should mention it,” Claude said. “We’ll be back shortly.” He turned back to Celine.

“Do you want Rena to come with us to buy the equipment?” she asked.

He shrugged “Nah, let her have her fun with the kids. I’m sure we can carry the gear by ourselves.” A small grin peeled at her face. He sighed eyes and walked in the direction of the plaza. When she chuckled, he walked faster. “You’ve got it all wrong,” he said over his shoulder.

“I don’t think so. But if I have to be honest, it’s more fun watching you two go at it than pursuing my own treasure hunting expeditions.” 

“Whatever.” Claude’s eyes darted to the right as he and Celine passed Rena and the kids.

They tossed the ball back and forth in a square formation. The ball bopped off Rena’s hip on a bad pass and she lightly scolded the children. Ketil ran to retrieve the ball before it bounced into the ocean. The sound of the kids and Rena reached Claude’s ears and he felt himself relax.

Ketil tossed the ball into the circle, calling out Rena’s name, but she looked away too late. Claude couldn’t restrain his chuckles as the ball ricocheted off of her head and she whined. The brunette boy chased after the ball while the small girl took a couple of steps back. She asked for Ketil to come and stand beside her.

Rena threw out more lectures on how to properly throw a ball, but her words died in mid-air when the ball sailed over her head and she reached up to catch it.

“Got it.” She hugged the ball close to her chest, and turned to Ketil, who talked to the young girl. “Now, to make you _pay…_ ”

Ketil stopped the conversation when he saw Rena’s face. “Aw, Rena…” He sidestepped around the small girl and hid. “It was an accident.” Rena charged him, holding the ball above her head.

“ _Tag,_ ” she bounced the ball off of Ketil’s head, caught it, and then did the same to the girl.

Voicing their disapproval, the two children chased a laughing Rena around the dock, the brunette standing back to observe.

“It’s almost a workout just watching them.” Celine nudged Claude’s shoulder with her own. “Doesn’t it make you wish you were young again?”

He cocked his head, thinking deeply on the question. He couldn’t remember much fun in his childhood and even the sports he had chosen to participate in somehow turned into more of a way to please his father. He felt envious when he saw his friends with their fathers, fishing gear on their backs. It hadn’t been until he met Michael, Fredrick, and even Jen that he had felt some kind of happiness. Baseball became his main pastime, because it meant seeing them. And now, he would give anything to be back with them, difficult times or not.

“Not really,” he lied.

She hummed in low tones and Claude turned his back to her to face the dock’s edge. From a distance, he could barely make out the running fountain in the center of the plaza. He walked forward, but lost his balance and fell on all fours. He grimaced as the flats of his hands and the bones of his shins kissed the cobblestone. Claude thought that it had been him being clumsy, but when he looked back to Celine, she had fallen, too.

“Ouch.” She rubbed her sore bottom, grimacing. “What was that shaking?”

He stared at his fingers gripping the ground and tried to process why he had fallen. He waited, inwardly counting the seconds as they went by. His hands trembled against the cobblestone and he could feel the soreness and stinging from the scrapes on his palms.

His body jerked from side to side, and he struggled to keep himself from collapsing. Claude’s arms strained against the force, but he couldn’t stand at all.

“ _Celine,_ ” he called back, hoping that she could hear him over the vigorous rumbling. “Can you stand?”

He thought he heard her say something, but people all around him were screaming, and wailing, and falling to the ground beside him. Claude’s strength waned, and he toppled onto his side, Celine’s thighs beside his face. She leaned down, one hand against her head to keep her hat from falling off.

“You okay?” he thought she asked. Nevertheless, he nodded his head. She grabbed him under the arms and helped him into a sitting position. Trying not to give her all of his weight, he placed his arms behind him and pushed up. “It’s an earthquake,” she said into his ear, bringing all of his thoughts into one realization.

“I don’t think it’s going to stop,” although his voice escalated, he still wasn’t sure it could match the wails of the civilians and the rumble of the quake. “We have to reach higher ground.”

She agreed and released his shoulders before struggling to her feet. Claude did the same, bending his knees to adjust to the tremors. She said something about the cliff top they had seen earlier and he shook his head.

“We have to get Rena and the children,” he argued.

Celine’s mouth clamped shut and she looked back to where they had been playing last. “I don’t see— _Oof!_ ”

Celine’s small frame was replaced by a bulky, muscular one and Claude’s jaw dropped as he watched her get mowed down by a crowd of frightened people.

“ _Celine,_ ” he cried out, reaching for her, but an arm swatted him in the face. 

Ears ringing, he could feel his body tossed around like a ragged doll. Finally, he fell back to the ground, trampled by dozens of feet. He felt overwhelmed by the sound of quickened and heavy footsteps, the sailors retreating from the dock. He moaned, and then cried out when someone stomped on his hand and he pulled it back against his chest.

When Claude dared to open his eyes again, dark blurs dodged in and out of his sight, people running toward the plaza. Mind hazy, he wondered if Celine was all right.

And Rena.


	10. And the World Came Tumbling After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horror consumes Rena as she watches Clik succumb to the hands of a great earthquake. In times like these, where can the Warrior of Light be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now is about the time that I mention that the warnings for graphic display of violence apply, and even more so in the upcoming Mars arc.
> 
> I also wanted to mention that this is also around the point that the story starts to take a Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (I don't own him, either, haha!), in which character backstories and folklore become a prominent thing, and shifts the novelization into something with quite a bit of depth. More like a vast fissure, actually. Elements of the Warrior pop up a little later at the end of this chapter, the social problems with Rena's healing powers, social constructs as a whole, and, in the next few chapters, Dias' backstory, as well as Celine's, whose role differs a little bit from that of the game, thanks to a couple of OCs.
> 
> I hope you continue to enjoy the story, and, with that, the conclusion of the Clik story arc.
> 
> ~ ML

**\/\/\/**

**An Ocean of Mirrors**

**Chapter Ten**

**And the World Came Tumbling After**

**\/\/\/**

There were only three times in Rena’s short-lived life where she thought her heart would stop, and this time made four. The screams echoed throughout her body, and she instinctively searched for Claude and Celine. The children scrambled away from her, despite her protests to keep close for safety. She shouted after Ketil and his two friends, Tobel and Delilah.

Now she was all alone. 

There seemed to be no hope of the quake subsiding. She would have to do things on her own.

Hordes of sailors moved together like a sea wave toward the plaza. She wondered if she would be able to make it there with the squirming crowd in the way.

She lost balance during a larger tremor and hit her head against the dock rail. Dazed, she tried to wrap her hands around the wood, the side of her face pressed against it. She huddled closer and attempted to regain her thoughts, but the rumbling alarmed her, and couldn’t still her body long enough to think. Her arms and legs tingled against the vibration and she stared at the never-ending swarm of people pushing and shoving to get to the plaza. She wondered if Claude and Celine were among them and hoped they were all right. Closing her eyes to blot out the noise around her, she forced herself to think about the best place to hide. Somewhere close that had high ground.

The screams were too much. She couldn’t think.

The weight of the rail loosened beneath her and wiggled until it cracked away from the wood. Dropping her hold on it, she fell onto her bottom and watched it collapse into the ocean. A horrible thought turned her pale.

The city of Clik was sinking, and she was about to be caught up in it. The desire to live gave her strength and she used it to push herself to her feet. Her heavy breath caught in her throat and she made the desperate attempt to lunge from her position and smash through the barrier that became the howling crowd.

The first time, she rebounded off of a man’s back and was pushed away by another, but she tried again and brought her arms up around her face.

“ _Honey…Honey!_ ” she heard from somewhere behind her.

“ _Help me…_ ”

“ _Where are you?_ ”

The screams made Rena panic and her body shook. She couldn’t be sure if it was from her or the rumbling. All around her were bodies, pounding feet, and the ground tearing itself in pieces.

“Let me _through,_ ” she cried, but her words were lost in the calamity.

She grunted when something hard came up from behind and struck her. The tremors hurled her forward into someone else, who tossed her off and she stumbled into a woman. Rena squeezed her eyes shut and screamed as other people shoved her away.

Rena landed on her back, the wind knocked from her chest. Her head bounced against the cobblestone, and stirred a grunt from the back of her throat. She forced herself to sit up and felt her bottom vibrate against the ground. Dizzily, her hand patted the area around her, her eyes focused in on the spraying fountain ahead.

Around her, people toppled to the ground like dominoes and fissures formed along the ground before tearing the cobblestone apart. Chills crawled down her body when the hand that had been feeling ground suddenly seized air. Her eyes whirled to the cobblestone, and Rena held her breath at the thick split only centimeters away from her fingertips.

She wanted to peer below—see how deep the hole went, but used her body weight to roll away for fear of the next big tremor knocking her into the pit. Her slippery fingers struggled to grab onto a toppled bench near her, and pulled herself closer until she hugged it, swallowing her anxiety as best she could.

The crack in the ground beneath her widened, and the bench toppled into the hole. She let it go just as the weight yanked her closer.

Rena’s body lost all feeling and she teetered left, her backside crashing against something sharp. She cried out before biting down on the pain and covering the wound on her hip with her hands. Drawing in a deep breath, Rena moved away from the growing split in the ground. The fissures stretched and fractured all around her. Then, the giant fountain in the center cracked in two before collapsing on itself, a geyser of water raining down on Rena and those in the vicinity.

The screams intensified, and dozens of people collapsed around the plaza. But the noise drowned under the cave-in of the restaurant Rena and the others had been to earlier. It smashed several people who couldn’t escape. Cobblestone tiles, a vendor’s stand, and benches splintered under the force. A flying bench leg slammed into a man’s head, and a woman ducked just as a broken tile stone whizzed over her. Rena felt the ground rip apart underneath her body.

She trembled and looked up as a deep, pained groan made her ears twitch. The rift in the center of the plaza widened and sank into itself. Her body shifted forward and she realized that the ground was no longer level. As the hole widened with collapsing stone, the ruins of the fountain, debris, and screaming people fell into the cleft below. Rena slapped her hands over her ears to blot out the noise and held still, even after the victims disappeared.

Something shattered in the street and then another building collapsed—the clothing store, she thought. Footsteps circled around her, and she clenched her eyes shut as tightly as she could, the loud stampede of people trampling everything around her. She prayed that her unmoving form would keep her safe until it passed and hid her head in the crooks of her arms.

She couldn’t understand how this had happened, or why. How could Tria be so cruel? Where were Claude and Celine? Were they safe? And the Warrior…

The Warrior was supposed to be there in their time of need. He had to come. This was the time for his arrival.

Rena didn’t want to die. She thought of her friends…her mother…her village…her forest…She didn’t want to die at all. But all of these noises…the cries of the people…They were _dying_ for Tria’s sake. Rena had never seen anybody die before.

She felt terrified.

Someone stomped on her body, and her chest smashed into her knees, clanking her teeth together and knocking the wind from her lungs. The figure that trampled her tripped and toppled onto the ground. He sat up, shook his head, and fled without a second glance. Rena screamed in pain, and turned onto her side, arms wrapped around her aching ribs.

The shattering of the buildings sounded closer and fell around her. The ground twisted and turned like a ship caught in a storm. Rena couldn’t register the pain after that. Someone kicked her head, and another crushed her leg. She reached to caress it, but stopped when a foot clomped down on her hand. Rena curled her legs up to her chest, but her butt was kicked and her ankle harmed.

The herd of terrified citizens echoed throughout her mind. Her body rolled, but she wasn’t sure to where. For all she knew, the ground would give away at that very moment and she would fall to her death like she had seen others before.

The pain blurred from its stopping and starting point, even when a force lifted her away from the ground. She felt lighter, as though she were hovering, but cringed at the pain in her back.

“ _Rena!_ ”

A voice knew her name, but all she had come to know were the screams of people and the collapsing of the city. The voice only blended in with everything else she had registered as calamity.

“Rena…Dammit, Rena, open your eyes.”

But the voice wasn’t going away like the other voices had, and it seemed closer than anything else she heard since the earthquake began.

Her eyes fluttered open, the vision blurry. She pieced together a rush of yellow with a bit of red, but couldn’t tell. The dust and dirt in her eyes made them sting.

She commanded herself to focus. Her body shook something awful, and she wondered if it was from the earthquake.

Two heads became one, four eyes became two, and, before she knew it, Claude C. Kenni was working between running and glancing down at her with the most worried look that she had ever seen.

“Rena, thank God, I’m so happy you’re all right.” Claude shifted her in his arms, and diverted his attention to the crumbling plaza. Without giving her time to respond, he told her, “We’re heading to higher ground. Hold on.”

She felt his body pick up speed and she bounced around in his arms. He dodged in and out of other people, shouting for them to move to safety. Though she couldn’t say it, she admired his bravery in doing what she had been unsuccessful. Her shame blanketed her feelings and wished that she could be as strong as him. He turned sideways, cutting in between two people, and she felt her body pull tighter to his chest as he went airborne for just a few moments.

The screams were louder than before and the world continued to shake, but Claude had found her. Rena’s fingers found their way to his shirt and she gripped the fabric as a silent way to tell him to not let go. He huffed as both of their bodies lifted, and she could see a set of steps pass by her vision from below. Turning her head, her eyes caught sight of green and a wild blue sky.

It was the place where she and Claude had shared the view of Clik together.

“Watch out,” she felt Claude’s words vibrate against his chest, and he pulled her body closer to his. She grunted when he finally slowed his pace. Where her fingers had clenched his shirt, she could feel something pulse against her hand and paid more attention to his pounding heart.

It seemed amazing that the driving life force held so much power that it could be felt through his black shirt. That driving force had given him the strength to survive, when Rena was prepared to die. It was he who had saved her, fighting through the hordes of people to find her and make sure that she was safe.

Not only had she been ready to die, but she had doubted him in the process.

She felt ashamed.

“You okay?” he breathed out when the sounds of the terror below subsided.

She could feel herself being lowered to the ground until her bottom touched something soft that wasn’t cobblestone or something sharp in her backside. His hand remained on her back, helping to support her. The ground no longer shook, and she listened to the low murmurs coming from a small crowd on the cliff top. Some cried and others yelled, but she wasn’t sure if their muffled words were as bad as the screams she had heard down below. She sat still for a moment, Claude’s hand on her back, and she glanced up. Slowly, the conclusion of things registered inside of her mind.

Clik was gone. There had been a terrible earthquake, and many people were dead. She thought that she had died, but then, there was Claude, who sat above her and checked over her wounds with apparent worry.

“Your eye is pretty swollen,” he told her. “And there’s a gash right above your left ear.” He fingered that. “There’s also a bloodstain on your hip.” He finished his examination off with a half-smile, to which she found herself trying to return. “You’re pretty banged up, Rena.” 

“You look pretty bad yourself, doctor.” She gestured to his forehead, dried blood lining his eyebrow. “Are you all right?”

As though he hadn’t realized it himself, Claude brought his free hand up to trace the wound by his brow. He looked ready to reply, but Rena had already wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder. She didn’t want to cry—wanted to be strong for him—but the thought that the two of them could be in the middle of that rubble, dead, terrified her without end.

And she felt relieved when he returned the embrace, holding her close to his body.

“I’m so happy,” she whispered, but got a mouthful of his jacket in the end.

It didn’t matter. She believed that he heard it anyway.

He patted her back and stroked her hair. Then he pulled away for a moment to look her over again, his face flat-lined. 

“I saw you get trampled,” he confessed. “I wasn’t sure whether or not you were alive after that.” His eyes lowered to the ground. “I ran as fast as I could to get to you. I couldn’t think of anything else.”

The words flushed her cheeks, the thought of having been so important making her happy and warm.

“I-I was worried, too,” she said. “I couldn’t find you or Celine and—”

He cut her off with a loud, “ _Celine…_ I had forgotten.” Jumping to his feet, Claude searched the vicinity and left Rena’s side.

Slow to react, Rena bit down on her lip before realizing that neither knew where their magic-loving friend was.

“Oh, Celine…” Fighting the protests coming from her body, she staggered to her feet, stumbled a bit, and followed after Claude the best she could.

Stagnant people hovered on the cliff top, either sobbing or talking with other survivors. Their surroundings weren’t so big, and finding Claude was the easiest problem that she had to solve that day. He had found someone, but it wasn’t Celine.

Making her way to his side, Rena spotted the burgundy overcoat and black fisherman’s cap. Recognizing him immediately as the captain, she offered silent thanks to Tria for his safety.

“I’m glad you’re all right,” the captain closed his eyes, appearing tired. Dried blood stuck to the gash on his left temple, just under his hat. “Only one man from my entire crew survived that nightmare. Hell, I’m surprised that _I_ survived.”

Rena stared at the tears in the captain’s overcoat and pants. Even his hat sat crooked. Her eyes wandered to Claude and the blood dripping from his elbow. Rips in his own clothes made her think about the ones in hers and she wondered what would happen now.

Claude had evidently been thinking the same thing as he asked, “So…what’s next, captain?”

The captain pulled up his hat and swept the dark, wet hair underneath back. “A whole lot of nothing, that’s what. Clik’s finished, you know. Boats won’t be leaving from here anytime soon.”

Claude grimaced and Rena felt her own spirits dampen. She let the captain’s words soak in. It was just as the strange woman from earlier had said. Rena wondered how she had known about Clik’s fate.

“Oh,” Claude said.

The captain shook his head, “Hey now, you know that I’m not the only way to get to El Continent, right?” At that, Rena’s eyes lifted. “Why sure, you can still get there from Lacour Continent. But, you’ve got to go through the port town of Herlie first.”

Claude’s face went blank, just as she expected it to. Rena knew how to get to Herlie; Claude didn’t.

“Where’s Herlie at?” Claude asked anyway.

The captain rubbed his chin. “It’s on the east coast of Cross Continent. Along the way is a little village called Mars. It’s about a week’s journey away, maybe a little more, so pace yourselves, all right? I doubt you’ll be doing much more shopping in Clik, so I’d stop there to rest up and restock. Oh, and before I forget…” digging into his coat pocket, he rustled around before whipping his hand out with something clenched between his fingers. He passed it off to Rena. “Here’s your passport back. Surprisingly, it was about the only thing I managed to salvage. Ask the King of Lacour for permission to get to El and you’ll be set.”

“Sounds easy enough…” but Claude’s attitude seemed anything but positive.

The captain gave a low whistle and shook his head, “Man, I can’t believe you kids still want to go to El after all of that. This disaster should be enough to shake you out of your boots.”

Rena opened her mouth to say something more, but a loud scream was enough to draw her attention away from the captain and to the view that overlooked the remains of Clik.

“L-Look at _that…_ ” came a cry and Rena darted to the edge. Claude moved in behind her with the captain on the other side.

Breaking the horizon came a wave Rena had only imagined in scary stories. The faint sound of rushing water attracted her ears. Her jaw locked as tension clamped her body. She hardly noticed that Claude had his hand on her arm and gripped it tightly.

“Oh man…” she heard him breathe.

Her heart stopped as her eyes whirled to the silent ruins of Clik, burning its last image into her mind before the tsunami fell, and crashed into what was left of the city. Stone and wood splintered up into the sky, water weaved in and out of the broken streets, and conquered every last dry spot until only the tips of most rooftops could be seen, like tiny, colored islands. Debris floated out to sea, boats crashed into the rubble of old buildings, or into each other. Rena could hear everyone on the hilltop scream and cry as they watched homes and lifeless bodies wash out into the ocean.

Her body quaked with the fear that the water would reach the hilltop and wash all the survivors away, too. She shuddered and moved in closer to Claude, who did the same, his hand still a vice-grip on her. Explosions of colliding objects reverberated in her ears, and she watched as the jettison bobbed up and down in the waves. Her heart sank when she spotted the sign from the ice cream shop float by and ended its journey under the belly of a ruined home. Only the memories of her and her friends in the city remained, and that made her sad.

Rena had been a stranger to this kind of tragedy, and it pained her to have it happen less than a week since being away from home. Even the death of her father seemed like nothing in comparison to this, despite how much she loved and missed him even now.

And then, as though tired of destruction, the weather calmed. The water sparkled against the sun, clouds traveled across the sky toward Arlia, and the rising heat warmed Rena’s skin. It was as though nothing had ever happened at all, save the sounds of crying. Lots of crying. 

“What have we done to deserve Tria’s wrath?” a man screamed into the sky. “Why were we punished?”

Rena wanted to say something. She wanted to scream with him and demand answers, too. She wanted to throw her face into her hands and never look up again.

Just a couple of hours ago, Ketil had given them a tour around Clik. He had robbed her, and then they were friends. She tried that horrible Natto and then Claude put on that silly outfit in the tailor shop. They all shared their laughter over ice cream, and then she was playing with Ketil, Tobel, and Delilah at the docks.

“Oh, Tria…” came a female voice. “The Gods have all played a horrible trick upon us, and, to make matters worse, have wiped Clik clean off the face of the planet.”

Rena whirled on her feet, which prompted Claude to do the same. There stood a woman with lavender hair wearing a hat and skimpy dress that revealed the tattoos on her thighs. Her arms hugged her body as she shook her head. Swollen, violet eyes showed previous tears, and she was covered in blood, bruises, and dirt.

“ _Celine,_ ” Rena wailed, and threw her arms around the sorceress. “We were so worried.”

Celine tensed and inhaled immediately, but relaxed after a moment and returned the hug. “Rena darling, we were worried about you…” She drew in a long breath and sniffled. “It seems Claude’s already found you. I’m so happy.”

“Thank goodness, Celine.” Claude’s smile nearly split his face. “Where have you been?”

Gently pushing Rena away, Celine sidestepped to reveal a small boy with blue hair. “I’ve been taking care of _this_ child.”

“Oh, dear.” The captain rolled his eyes and chuckled. “This kid?”

“Ketil,” Rena clapped her hands together. “I’m so happy that you’re all right.”

“I found him on the steps coming up this way,” the sorceress explained. “He was crying for someone to help him, and I snatched him up and brought him here.” Then, closing her eyes and trying to smile, she added, “I knew Claude wasn’t going anywhere without finding you first, Rena.”

Rena stiffened and turned to Claude for confirmation. His eyes were on the captain, but rubbed his shoulder uncomfortably.

“…Oh.” Rena’s eyes shifted back to Celine, who stared at Ketil with a smile. Prompting her to do the same thing, the Arlian girl slowly moved to bended knee in front of the child. She winced at the pain in her side, but tried to ignore it. “I’m glad you’re okay, Ketil.”

His cheeks were flustered and his eyes red, but he offered her a wobbly smile. “Thanks, Rena.” Then his attention lifted to the captain, “I’m glad you’re okay, Captain Morris.”

The captain placed his hands on his hips. “Likewise, Ketil. After all, if anything happened to you, who would become my first mate?”

The boy appeared sheepish, the red on his face transitioning from tears to embarrassment.

“I’m glad you’ll still have me, even after I played that trick on you,” Ketil said.

An uneasy thought settled into Rena and she interrupted, “Where are your friends?”

He shifted, a flash of pain in his eyes. “I…I could only find Tobel.”

Rena’s heart stopped in her chest, remembering how she had begged them all to stay together for fear of something like this. She bowed her head at the horrible reality of it all. Deep down, she prayed for Delilah’s safety, but after seeing all of those people fall into the crevasses as they had…

“I see…” Then another thought occurred to her, “And your mom? How is she?”

“Oh, I think she’s okay. She said something about leaving town after she was done in the plaza.” Ketil jerked a thumb to the cliff top up higher. “I saw the nanny up there. I should probably let her know I’m all right before she worries too much.”

Rena resisted the urge to hug him and stood. “All right. Take good care of yourself, Ketil. I’m glad you’re all right.”

“I’m happy you guys are all right, too.” Then, giving Celine an affectionate stare, he added, “Thanks, Celine, for saving me.”

“Think nothing of it.” But Celine wiped her eyes and looked away. Rena swore she had seen a lone tear roll off the sorceress’ cheek.

“Take care, Ketil,” Claude said.

“I’ll accompany him up to his nanny,” the captain offered and shook Claude’s hand. “Best of luck to you three and be careful on your journey. The world is no longer the place we used to know.”

After the two departed for higher ground, Celine’s face released into something grave, as though she had been holding it in all of this time. She looked at Rena and said, “So, our plans to El Continent have been delayed.”

Although the situation felt inappropriate to discuss their delay, Rena needed the distraction, now more than ever. She said, “We can still get there through Herlie.” From out of the corner of her eye, Claude moved forward to join the conversation. “We’ll have to cross over to Lacour and then to El from there.”

“Are you sure you want to continue with this?” Claude looked at her. “Rena, I know you’ve never encountered monsters before, and then with this happening…”

Her lips pressed into a thin line and she held a hand to her injured side. It was still bleeding.

“I know what you’re thinking, Claude, but I’m not going home.” Her eyes fell. “You’re right, I’m not aware of the outside world, like you and Celine, and I don’t know how to defend myself. You’ve had to save me countless times because of my inexperience.” She offered him a hard glare. “But I _am_ coming with you. If I let monsters and this tragedy stop me, then everything up until now will have been for naught. I won’t let that happen.”

Claude sighed and said, “It’s not about letting something like this stop you. It’s about life or death.”

Before Rena could retort, Celine cut in, “I say let her continue.” All eyes shifted to her and she shrugged. “This is to be expected, Claude. Remember, it’s the Sorcery Globe we’re up against here.” 

“We can’t be for certain that the Sorcery Globe is responsible for this natural disaster,” Rena said.

Celine’s lips twisted at one side. “Are you certain you’re ready to declare it ‘natural?’” Then she said to Claude, “I supposed that means we’ll be passing through Mars Village, doesn’t it?”

“That’s what the captain said,” he said. “He suggested that we stop in and get some supplies before heading to Herlie.”

“But it’s kind of far, isn’t it?” Rena asked. “So that means we’ll be sleeping on rocks again until we can get some proper equipment.”

“And utilizing a lot of survival skills.” Claude rubbed the wound above his eyebrow. “We almost had some equipment. I wish we would have bought it earlier.”

“But then we would have had to carry it all through town,” Rena pointed out. “No one could have known what was going to happen.”

Celine didn’t appear to be paying attention.

“Mars,” the sorceress repeated, as though the name held some kind of horrible secret. “…Never thought that that would be a hotspot on our journey.”

“What’s wrong, Celine?” Rena blinked. “You know Mars?”

Her dry laugh crumbled after a moment. “Yeah. I know Mars pretty well.”

\/\/\/

Claude could see through the glass this time. When he peeked closer, he recognized other glass prisons like his own with shapes of people inside of them. They were long and thin, like capsules, with only enough room to turn around and not nearly enough space to sit comfortably. There were at least a dozen more glass prisons in the room with him, coiled tube wires connected at the top of each prison that spiraled up and attached to the ceiling. There were blinking red, orange, and purple lights across the room and several panels that reminded him of the ones on the Calnus. These ones looked nicer. They were shiny, almost metallic, and the resolution of the holographic screens seemed immaculate. A man’s face flickered on the screen, inanimate, but highly defined. He almost looked like Claude.

But Claude didn’t look like Claude.

He turned his hands over, staring into the flats of his palms and saw a strange marking tattooed on his left wrist. His Federation uniform had disappeared, replaced by a beige gown that stopped just below his knees. He felt a cold draft, and pulling down on the hem of the gown didn’t make it any better.

Claude beat against the glass but no sound came through. He tried yelling, but no voice formed. He threw himself against the glass, but the prison was stronger than he. He crouched to his knees and tried to seat himself on the tiny gray floor. He wanted to stretch his legs; they were numb and achy, but he couldn’t push them far from his chest.

It hurt to sit still for long and he stood again.

“Where am I?” he murmured to himself. “Why am I here?”

The other bodies in the prisons appeared to be alive but stationary. The closest prison to him held a seated man staring directly ahead, but, short of breathing, made no other movement.

The man wore a beige gown, like Claude, and his blonde hair was unkempt, matted, and fell to his shoulders. How he could sit in the capsule without his legs cramping, Claude didn’t know, but was certainly amazed.

Claude called out to him, beat his hands against the glass, and jumped up and down. The man turned, his face emotionless, and mouthed one word.

Weapon.

\/\/\/

Claude jolted and sat upright. His body shook, his chest felt tight, and his fingertips twitched. From out of the corner of his eye, he could see the small, red glow of the fire Celine had made. She was still seated in front of it, though her attention had directed itself to Claude.

“Are you all right, Claude darling?” she asked.

His breathing was irregular and he gulped air. He stretched his legs out on the thin brush he had used for a makeshift bed. His mind cleared and he realized that there was no glass capsule, no beige gown, and no other inmates and prisons.

Celine stood and watched him. Claude rubbed his face and exhaled, forcing himself to think. When thoughts would not come, he turned to Rena, who was curled up on her own bed of brush, snoring lightly.

“Where are we?” he asked. The words cracked through a hoarse voice and he wished they had water.

Celine tilted her head. “We’re on the outskirts of Parsons Grove, remember? It’s still a four day walk to Mars.”

Claude relaxed and exhaled. He shuddered as a bead of sweat trailed down the side of his face and dripped onto his collarbone.

He could feel the gaze of the sorceress burning into him and he tried not to make eye contact. Claude hoped she wouldn’t be able to recognize his fluster.

“Did you have another nightmare?” she asked. Claude flinched and found himself looking up. Celine’s brows knitted together, and seemed to be studying his face. “You don’t look so well. We’re not too far from the river if you need to freshen up.”

His “thanks” was exhaled from his mouth and he struggled to stand. His knees quaked and he felt lightheaded, causing his body to sway. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Have my nightmares been keeping you up?”

She shook her head and turned back to the fire. “I haven’t been very tired lately.” Her laugh seemed brittle and exhausted. “It’s been a long time since I’ve traveled with companions. Does that seem weird to you?”

“No,” he replied, a little hastily, he noticed. Maybe it was because he wanted to excuse himself and find that river she mentioned. Either way, he added, “I’ve never traveled with anyone before this. Well…not as free as what we’re doing, anyway. This is the first time I’ve traveled with people I can relate to.”

“Oh?” She smiled. “Relate to? Is that right, then?” Celine drew her knees into her chest and rocked back. “Well, I’m glad you feel that way, Claude.” She nodded over to Rena, whose low breathing could be heard if everything remained still. “I hope she does, too.”

“I’m sure Rena does.” Claude pulled his shoulders back and noticed how sore they were.

Even though Rena’s healing worked like nothing he had ever known, it didn’t stop the tenderness in his muscles and tendons. Of course, she hadn’t just healed him, nor had she only healed herself and Celine. The tragedy in Clik triggered her desire to help everyone and she tended to as many injured as possible, despite having wanted to keep her powers a secret. In lieu of Clik’s destruction, Rena’s powers became the new buzz around the clifftops, and Claude wondered if, like he had been, many more would have panicked at the sight of her unique powers if healing hadn’t been an absolute necessity at that time. The doctor had been killed in the earthquake, and the next doctor couldn’t be found until Cross Kingdom. By the end of the day, Rena knew all of the survivors by name, and she became the hero of the tragedy.

It also meant that she had exhausted herself into slumber, and Claude carried her on his back until he and Celine could find an adequate place to set up camp. 

He had been on Expel for a little over a week, and had experienced more than he thought possible in his lifetime. His phase gun had broken, leaving him defenseless, and he couldn’t consider himself a master swordsman in such a short span of time. It would take an extended period for him to grow adept, but Claude hoped that he wouldn’t remain on Expel for that long. He craved his friends and family more and more with each passing day.

Celine’s smile transitioned into something he wasn’t sure he would consider sincere, but he had nothing else to compare it to. The sorceress nodded toward the set of trees to her right and said, “The river is through there, Claude darling. Do take care going out in the dark.”

He stared out into the blackness and paused. In order to keep monsters away from the camp, Celine had conjured a barrier to cloak their presence. She said it was the only spell she knew that didn’t require full concentration as she slept, and to keep inside of the barrier’s parameters for safety. Even her fires couldn’t be maintained, prompting Claude very quickly to remember how to construct a fire with stones and sticks. He chastised himself for not bringing his flint from the Calnus.

“But I’ll be outside the barrier,” he said. “What about monsters?”

She shrugged. “Don’t be gone long, then. I’ll keep my ears open in case something happens.”

He squeezed his lips together and scanned the ground for his sheath and belt. He seized it, and marched in the direction of the river, reminding himself that he would have to heighten his senses the way his father made him do as a child and during Federation training. Claude wasn’t ecstatic about having to spend the next four days out in the wilderness when he had already spent most of the past week in the woods. Even if Celine wasn’t happy about arriving in Mars, he yearned for a hot bath, meal, and bed.

Maybe that was all he needed in order to dispel his recent nightmares.


	11. Dias Flac

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trouble reveals itself as Claude and the others arrive in Mars and discover that bandits have kidnapped all of the children in the village in exchange for a monetary ransom, as well as the Book of Secret Seals. As the elder and Celine's parents discuss an approach to their rescue, Claude learns a little more about the skeletons in the Jules' closet and why Celine chooses to distance herself from her hometown. However, that is not the only skeleton to come tumbling as Rena's childhood friend makes himself known in the elder's home--a man Claude remembers being called Dias Flac.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I own Hadrian, Dasmas, and the character of Isaac in this arc--the personality he plays as the villager in the elder's home, but not the villager himself. I just found it strange that he came across as a no-name villager who HAPPENED to meet the bandits, but he's a villager in Mars just the same. I had to quickly correct that, so Isaac he became! (The rhyming wasn't intentional.) And, of course, I don't own Star Ocean 2 or EX. Although it breaks my heart to admit it as so.
> 
> For those who have read the story before on Fanfiction.net, you might notice that this arc differs quite a bit from what it used to be. I hope that it's an improvement, haha. For all new readers, I hope that you'll continue to enjoy the story for what it is. I realize that Claude's jealousy and pouting is a little stronger in the game than in the anime, and have tried to reflect that through all things around him, from his father, friends, and Jen, instead of just Rena. Seemed to make a little more sense that way. :D

**\/\/\/**

**An Ocean of Mirrors**

**Chapter Eleven**

**Dias Flac**

**\/\/\/**

Rena said that she felt at home, but Celine looked downright uncomfortable. Claude couldn’t stop the awe from overwhelming him, having been in Arlia just a couple of weeks ago, and the atmosphere felt very similar.

Celine explained that Mars was home to Heraldry users and to some very famous magicians. Surprisingly, and, then again maybe not, it was also _her_ home as well. She didn’t want to talk too much about her relation to Mars, though it left Claude curious, and treated herself more like a tour guide during their walk around the village.

Mars was smaller in size than Arlia, but imitated its quaintness and tranquility. Where Arlia had the Shingo Forest, Mars was nestled against the Heraldry Forest, which did not share the same lush green and inviting feel that the Shingo Forest did. Claude did not want to say anything for fear of offending Celine, but he could go the rest of his life without having to set foot in there. It appeared swampy, dark, and smelled weird. The trees and shrubbery had overgrown across distinguishable paths and other landmarks.

On the other hand, Rena expressed disappointment in learning that the Heraldry Forest was off-limits to those who weren’t magicians, but Celine did her best to comfort the girl, who very much wanted to see the inside of the forest.

“The Heraldry Forest is dreary and depressing, and probably nothing like the Shingo Forest.” Celine chuckled. “All we Heraldry users do is just sit in there and train anyway. And it’s swampy. From what you’ve told me, the Shingo Forest is much cleaner and prettier.”

“Well, we’re not really here to sight-see anyway…” Rena agreed, but she still wore an air of sullenness. “Maybe next time.”

“Yeah.” Celine squeezed her shoulder. “Next time.”

Claude was surprised that a world traveler like Celine had never been to the Shingo Forest, but reserved the urge to ask why. It didn’t seem important anyway.

The three continued the tour around Mars, Celine pointing out every small structure, sign, and landmark. Claude’s leg cramped up after a short while, having walked the past four hours before coming upon Mars. He didn’t want to complain, since the girls were enjoying themselves, but he didn’t want to sit down in front of them, either. 

Mars, like much of what he had already seen on Expel, was something he hadn’t experienced before on earth. The village smell—he couldn’t put a name to it, only that it was strong of a sharp incense, like burning wood or sage. That smell was something he wished he could take with him and put into his pocket.

Even though the Heraldry Forest looked and had the scent like it belonged to an old witch he often read about as a child, there were times he would sniff and detect dew on wood and grass. That was another smell he wished he could shove into the opening of his shirt and tuck in between the crook of his collarbone and neck, only to pull it out when he wanted to breathe in something fresh and wonderful.

There wasn’t a river in Mars, which surprised him. Claude had been certain that the river in Parsons Grove would stretch out this far, but there was no close water source he could see. He wondered if the Heraldry users created their own water.

Creating water. He chewed on the prospect of that for a moment. The concept of creating matter wasn’t something he could fathom. Logistically and scientifically, it was impossible. But not here. Not in this world. However, his mother was a Heraldic scientist, and studied its components from her time fighting the Rezonians. He knew quite a bit about its composition and basic foundation because of her research, and she hinted that his father knew even more than she. Whatever that meant, Claude had never bothered to ask, nor approached his father on the subject, but the curiosity never left him. He hadn’t wanted to disclose his knowledge to Rena and Celine. It just worked better to play ignorant for now. But, he believed that being in Mars would allow him to get closer to the truth of what his mother knew, and all of the things he had hated about it when he was a child.

He took to a bench when Celine and Rena spent too much time comparing the differences between Mars and Arlia. He had enough of camping and the outdoors that he could handle without proper equipment. Again, Celine had been their saving grace, offering to hunt and gather when Rena and Claude proved to be too slow. The sorceress taught Rena to cook and Claude stood by to take mental notes. It was one thing to be a part of the Federation, training for times like these, and even having to experience them with his father, who would have scolded Celine a thousand times for her generosity. It was another to engage in them. Claude wasn’t much of a cook, and fared only slightly better as a hunter and gatherer.

The nightmares weren’t helping his stamina, either. Celine was up at day’s break, and that meant that Rena and Claude were, too. Two of those nights came with nightmares of being behind glass, as it had been with every nightmare, and Claude woke in sweat and gasps. He’d clean himself at the river, take a while to calm himself, but when he laid down to return to sleep, found himself wide awake and restless. When sleep would come to find him again, it was already time to get up and back on the road.

While the nightmares occupied his sleep, thoughts of Clik weaved in and out of his daytime consciousness. Neither Rena nor Celine had made any further commentary on the tragedy since the day it occurred, though both girls wore the solemn gravity on their faces, perhaps when they thought no one was looking. As for Claude, he tried his best to blink back the faces of the dead and dying, and the world as it crashed down around him. The less he thought about it, the easier it would be to concentrate on the task at hand. He didn’t know how else to cope. 

The bench took the weight off of his legs and they thanked Claude for his kindness by soothing their aches and cramps. He leaned into the wood of the backrest, and the urge to fall asleep tickled his brain. He refocused his attention onto the scenery to avoid sinking into the desire.

  The terrain ran even and flat, and most of it could be seen just by standing in one spot. Celine turned and pointed to the elder’s home. It was smaller than Mayor Regis’, but carried a hint of homeliness, what with the small garden out front and a wispy tree hanging overhead. It was a brown, one-story, rectangular-shaped structure with a glass dome skylight protruding from the top. He wondered if it was for star gazing.

Mars’ shops were set far back along the border of the forest, and several shopkeepers paced out front, waiting for customers, he assumed, which seemed to be short in supply at the moment. Now that Claude thought about it, he hadn’t seen many people out and about. They hadn’t arrived early—the sun hung in the sky close to noon, if he had to guess—but only a handful of people lingered in the streets, and all seemed apprehensive. One shopkeeper stared at a display stand just outside the front door, and rubbed his arm with the same nervousness as those Claude had seen. The ensign squinted and leaned forward to observe the shop. It was a grocery store.

He stood and followed Rena and Celine when they began to move down the road. As they passed the grocery store, the shopkeeper glanced up at the trio. He was a lanky, older gentleman with a salt and peppered mustache. A blue cap adorned his head, and his white apron flapped against his hip. He stared at Celine longer than Claude and Rena, and then waved.

“Oh, hello, Geoffrey.” Celine returned the wave.

“Celine.” He smiled and motioned her toward him. “It’s been a long time. Coming home to visit?”

Claude noticed that she didn’t answer right away.

“Yes,” was all she said when she did reply. “Have you seen my parents?”

The next face Geoffrey made caught Claude off guard and he beckoned them closer. They complied, and he pulled the end of his mustache. 

With somber eyes, he said in a low voice, “Your timing couldn’t be more perfect and terrible, Celine. Your parents are at the elder’s home.” He wrapped the hairs of his mustache around his finger. “You see, Mars is in a bit of a crisis at the moment.”

Celine’s eyes widened and Claude’s stomach knotted. He didn’t want to hear about any more problems after Salva and Clik. He was looking forward to a nice hotel room, a hot bath, and something delicious to eat.

“Crisis?” she echoed.

His nod was slow and he exhaled through his nostrils. “I can’t give you the specifics because I don’t know much myself. However, early this morning, Mrs. Poe came out of her house, screaming that her son—you remember her son, Jacob, right? Jacob was missing. It wasn’t long before other parents rushed out, screaming the same thing. A long line of panicking villagers swarmed the elder’s home, begging for help.”

“Oh my…” Celine looked to Rena and Claude. Her face paled, and Claude imagined that she had not wanted to come home to something of this magnitude.

Geoffrey went on, “I’m sorry that this is the welcome you’ve come home to, but do you think that you could visit the elder? He might have something you can help with, if you’re not too busy, of course.”

“Not at all.” Rena pushed in between her companions. “We’ll be glad to help.”

Then she gave Claude and Celine each a look, seeking approval. It was far too late for that, and Claude knew he’d be sharpening his blade again soon.

“That’s a silly thing to ask, Geoffrey.” Celine crossed her arms and cast a glance at the elder’s home. “I know all of the children here, and if someone’s causing problems for my village, then they’re causing problems for me.” With a smile, she added, “And I’ll teach them not to mess with _me._ ”

Geoffrey sighed and his mouth relaxed into a smile. “Sorry. I knew that you’d help no matter what, Celine. I guess that it’s just been so long since I’ve seen you, I’ve forgotten that.”

Celine lightly slapped his arm and said, “It’s only been six months, Geoffrey. Not enough time to forget about the prettiest girl in Mars.”

Claude rolled his eyes and muttered, “And the most modest.”

“Right, right,” Geoffrey said and then laughed. It was short-lived before the distress returned to his eyes. “Please hurry on to the elder’s house. I think their meeting’s only just started.”

Claude remained behind the girls as they made haste to the large home in the corner of the village. The girls chattered back and forth to each other about the current problems spreading across Mars. If it was anything like when he had rescued Rena from Alen, he wondered exactly how severe this situation would be. The idea of going against another monster like that scared him, but he wouldn’t say no—especially in front of Celine. He knew that if it was his hometown in peril, he couldn’t turn a blind eye, either.

The sorceress hopped onto the porch and opened the door for her companions. They stepped through, and Claude held his breath when a thick, musty smell hit his nose. Several tall and thin bookshelves lined the room, and he could see a door leading into the far back. The main distraction was the large table centered in the room. Several villagers occupied seats around the table, their eyes settled onto Claude and the girls.

In front of him was a tall man with long, blue hair and a forest green cape. He sat situated with his back to Claude, but the chair screeched as he stood. His right hand drew the blade on his hip just enough for Claude to see steel, and turned his face, but not enough to see his eyes. 

To the left of him was a wizened man wearing a silly hat on top of a mane of long, white hair. He looked more like Santa Claus than a Heraldry Arts user. His mustache flopped over his beard, which had been braided near the tip and secured with a bright red bead. His hunched back and spine poked through his peach and white cape, and his elbows propped up onto the table. He stared up at the blue-haired man with quizzical eyes before shifting his attention to Claude and the girls. Claude speculated that this man was the elder.

Across the table sat another man with a light green cloak and several tattoos across his face. His eyes had been the first to find Claude’s and he welcomed them with a deep frown. Next to him was a man with a chiseled face and strawberry blonde hair. The woman beside him stopped talking and gazed at the newcomers.

Celine stepped around Claude and Rena.

“Celine?” The name appeared forced through the woman’s lips, and the uneasiness on her face transitioned into surprise. She stood and beckoned the girl closer, lime colored ringlets of hair cascading over a white and burgundy magician’s robe.

“Mother.” The sorceress left Rena’s side for the woman at the table. “I heard from Geoffrey Barnes that something terrible has happened to our children. What’s going on?”

Feeling out of place and too awkward to stand, a vacant seat compelled Claude to sit at the table. “That’s your mom?” was what he wanted to ask, but Celine and her mother were already engaged in conversation and the opportunity had passed. He took a seat one chair over from the man with blue hair, who still stood with eyes on Celine, and Rena sat to the right of Claude. The man returned to his chair after another moment.

“We’re piecing that together now,” Celine’s mother explained. “I’m happy that you’ve arrived in time to listen, though.” Her eyes trailed to Claude. “Who are your friends, dear?”

“Oh.” The sorceress used a hand to gesture, “That’s Rena and the one next to her is Claude. They’re friends that I’ve been traveling with.”

“Nice to meet you.” The man sitting next to Celine’s mother gave a rough smile. “This is our elder, Abelard. I’m Egras, Celine’s father. This is Raveh, Celine’s mother. Thank you for taking care of my daughter.”

Claude stood to make the man’s acquaintance better with a handshake, but was interrupted.

“While I’m sure that we’d love to sit down and have proper introductions over tea,” the man in the light green cloak snapped, “we’re on a tight schedule. We need to get back to the matters at hand.”

Claude scrutinized the man in the cloak. His high-pitched, nasally voice caused the ensign to wince and the man had a face that looked like it needed to be punched. Claude sat in his chair and furtively captured a glance of the man with blue hair.

His profile was extremely shaped, from his long nose to his sturdy chin. His cheekbones were set high, but it was hard to tell over the mop of blue hair. Claude figured that, by its length, the man either didn’t much care about appearances, or had been traveling for so long that it just seemed natural to have it. Perhaps it was a bit of both.

His eyes were bothersome. They were void of life, emotion, and maybe the man hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time. The ends of his lips tilted down, deep creases forming to accent his disapproval, whatever it may be.

Claude pried himself from his staring and turned to the elder, who had taken control of the conversation.

“We were just about to begin, anyway,” the elder said. “Thank you for joining us, Celine. It is very fortuitous that your timing has brought you here at this hour, when we need our community the most.” He cleared his throat, “This is, without question, the most disastrous event to ever strike Mars.”

“What happened to the children?” Celine asked, standing behind her mother with crossed arms. “Please start from the beginning, if possible. We haven’t heard much about the surrounding circumstances of the situation.”

Celine’s father leaned across the table to steal his daughter’s attention. “I’ll explain. It’ll be easier that way.”

She nodded. “Yes, Father.”

Egras leaned into his seat, and started when the room quieted, “Last night, all of the children went missing from the village. We haven’t detected any foul play; it’s as though every child got up from his or her bed and left the village of their own will. We discovered their absence early this morning. Every parent lined up at the elder’s door, demanding that something be done. As we assembled a search party,” he made a gesture to the man in the green cloak, “Isaac came to us with a message.”

Isaac found a smile underneath his earlier scowl and gestured to himself as he said, “I always get up early every morning to practice my arts in the Heraldry Forest. I was in deep meditation, but a large crash startled me. The noise had been the fault of a dangerous looking group, and imagine my surprise when I found myself face to face with bandits. Instinctively, I steeled myself for battle, but they made no threatening movements. Instead, one of the bandits parted with me a message before he and the others disappeared back into the woods.” Isaac accepted a pause, apparently making sure that he held all ears, and then said, “‘We have your children. If you want to see them alive again, bring us five-hundred thousand FOL _and_ the Book of Secret Seals.’”

Claude perched his chin in the palm of his hand and rested his elbow on the table’s top. He thought carefully on the man’s words. Ransom money was the typical kidnapper’s M.O., but the last part bothered him.            

“What’s this ‘Book of Secret Seals’ that he’s talking about?” Claude asked.

The elder shook his head and said, “I’m afraid that we can’t go into details about its contents, but I can tell you that it holds the most secret of secrets about the Heraldic Arts. It has been passed down in Mars Village for generations.”

Claude dropped his hand from his chin and sank his weight into his chair. “You’re not convinced that they’re petty kidnappers, are you?”

Egras stared at Claude with eyes that suggested he didn’t. “This proves to be equally as bad for us. Not only are our children missing, but bandits are defiling our sacred forest.”

“Celine.” Rena turned to the sorceress, who walked the circumference of the table, lost in thought, it seemed. “You were saying that the forest was off-limits to those who weren’t Heraldry users. But how can you keep track of who goes in and out of the forest? I’m sure that even the village guard can’t catch everybody.”

“There’s a magical barrier surrounding the forest that repels any kind of evil,” Celine explained as she continued to pace the table. “This has never happened before. If someone has broken through the barrier…”

“If someone has broken through the barrier,” Isaac cut in, “then that means our foe is more powerful than anything we could ever imagine.”

Celine turned to her father, and asked, “What about the children? Do we know if they’re safe?”

Egras appeared tired, even as he nodded. No doubt, he had been in the middle of this conflict since very early that morning. “According to a second messenger, yes. They are being held deep in the forest, and will remain there until we’ve fulfilled their demands.”

Isaac moved his attention to Claude and Rena. “Generally, the Heraldry Forest is a natural fortress, what with its bulky terrain. The trees and brush are overgrown and the swamps are quite a mess. It’s difficult to penetrate it directly.”

Celine sighed and slapped a hand across her hip. She marched toward the elder and snapped, “So, what are we so afraid of that we haven’t resolved this issue already?” Jerking a thumb to her chest, she said, “ _We’re_ Heraldic users, aren’t we? If it’s just a pack of bandits, we should be able to dispose of them in no time.”

“Did you forget the part where I said that they broke through our magical barrier?” Isaac retorted. “It’s also possible that our perpetrator is a Heraldic user, too.” His eyes turned upward in thought. “Perhaps it’s Dasmas, come to seek his revenge.”

The name seemed to pique a fear in the eyes of Celine’s parents, and Claude wondered who this ‘Dasmas’ could be. On the other hand, Celine and the elder showed no concern.

“Celine, please.” The elder motioned for her to sit and Raveh left her chair to take her daughter’s arm. “You must understand that the lives of the children are at stake. You’re probably right, and we could overthrow the bandits ourselves, but would it mean anything if the children were caught up in the disaster?”

Claude could see the anger fade in Celine’s eyes as she allowed her mother to pull her into a chair.

“We haven’t been twiddling our thumbs, Celine,” Egras said. “We sent a search party out to find the children earlier today.”

Celine’s face perked up. “Did you find them?”

Egras nodded. “We just need to find a way to rescue them.” A smile painted his face. “Then along came a master swordsman. We asked him to join in our efforts and he has accepted.” He gestured to the blue-haired man.

A gasp escaped Rena’s lips. “Dias?” 

Claude’s head whirled to meet Rena’s eyes. They were wide and her face drained pale. She held a hand over her mouth, as though to keep her jaw from falling off.

He quirked an eyebrow, a flurry of thoughts running through his mind. All that it boiled down to was that she was acquainted with the blue-haired swordsman. 

“Rena?” Claude questioned.

Then he understood why she knew the man.

Knew the man…

“ _Dias Flac. He’s a childhood friend of mine from Arlia.”_

“ _I see. From the way she made it sound, he doesn’t live there anymore.”_

“ _He doesn’t. Something horrible happened to him a long time ago, and because of that, he left the village.”_

“ _Oh…Well then, I won’t pry.”_

“ _Thanks.”_

So, this was the famous Dias he had heard about from Rena’s friend and Rachel. Somehow, he hadn’t been expecting the man to be a master swordsman.

Perhaps it was fear, but Claude felt hesitant to look at him, now that he knew his identity as Dias Flac.

He thought on Rena’s words, that something horrible had happened to him long ago. It was understandable to see him in his rugged state, now. 

“So, you know this man?” Egras asked, an unmistakable hint of delight laced in his tone.

Rena bobbed her head, smiling. “Oh, yes, he’s a childhood friend of mine. If it’s Dias you have helping you, then I wouldn’t be worried at all. He’ll take care of those bandits without any problems.”

Egras’ delight intensified with the attention he offered Dias, and then to his wife. He said, “There aren’t many who don’t know the name ‘Dias Flac.’ He says that this will be a good warm-up for the Lacour Armory Contest next month.”

Rena laughed, her eyes on the blue-haired swordsman. Claude noticed that Dias’ eyes focused in on the flower centerpiece on the table while they talked as though he weren’t there. 

Rena said, “That’s Dias for you. No one can even come close to his skills.”

Egras and Rena swallowed their smiles when Isaac slammed a fist on the table and snapped, “You know that I don’t agree with this, Egras. We can’t trust outsiders.”

Egras opened his mouth to say something, but Rena beat him to it. She shoved her chair back with a screech that made Claude flinch, and retorted, “I’ll vouch on his behalf. You can absolutely trust Dias. Not only is he an honest man, he’s the strongest swordsman in the world.”

Though he sat and Rena stood, Isaac did not seem to be intimidated. He tilted his head back, wore a smile, and said, “You _also_ lack the class and experience to be speaking on his behalf, young lady. Exactly what credibility do _you_ have in this village?”

Rena’s lips rubbed together and her eyes fell. She appeared to be fighting for words, but “Well…” and “It’s not…” were all that she could manage.

“She has _my_ approval.” Celine snorted. “And if you say that Ihave no credibility here, I’d ask you to take a look around, sir.”

“A wild child who has been away from home for months, shirking her responsibilities and duties to Mars. Quite unlike the leadership material we were _supposed_ to be presented with. No wonder Hadrian left.” Isaac shook his head. “You do not scare me, Celine. You may not feel this way, but this village is my priority, and I’ve served it all of my life.” His eyes looked the sorceress up and down, as though sizing her worth. “For much longer than a girl whose father spends all of his time seeking out suitors after your little… _mishaps._ Quite the embarrassment to your family, if I must say. Perhaps it’s best that you resigned your role after all.”

“That’s _enough,_ Isaac!” Egras bellowed. “Take care, because if you insult my family one more time, there will be more to contend with than just the children.”

Claude’s fingers squeezed into the flesh of his palms in discomfort. Isaac sat in his chair, hands folded in his lap, and smiled. Raveh placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder, and whispered something into his ear that no one could hear. Celine ground her teeth together, but she said nothing.

A moment of silence passed before Abelard said in a low voice, “But…perhaps it is irresponsible of us to foist such a task off on a passing swordsman. Maybe it’s not right.” He sighed and stared down at the wood of the table. “Tria…If only Hadrian _were_ still here. He’d know what to do.”

“Oh, come _on,_ Elder.” Celine waved her wrist in a circle and held it to her chest. “It’s been eight years, and it’s not like the village has fallen to pieces without him. If it’s such a problem, then why don’t we take care of the bandits? I’m still a member of this village unless that’s changed while I was away.” She glared at Isaac upon that remark. “It’ll be a perfect opportunity to show off the results of my training.”

But her parents didn’t share her enthusiasm. Staring at each other with faces that read, _“_ _She’s_ _ **your**_ _daughter,”_ Egras said, “Are you sure, Celine? It’s very dangerous.”

Isaac sighed, loud and dramatic. He stood and said, “Since Hadrian left us, I’m not sure where you’ve found your training, Celine, and I’m still not convinced that we should send these outsiders _or_ your wild daughter into the forest, Egras. Wouldn’t it bother you if the bandits maimed or had their way with her?”

Egras and Raveh began on a roar of protest, but Celine cut them off with dangerous eyes. To Isaac, she said in a calm and ladylike tone, “And what do you think I’ve been _doing_ in all of the time I’ve been gone from this village? Having picnics?”

Isaac snorted. “Certainly not with Hadrian, I can assure you of that.”

“Whatever.” The voice was too deep and masculine to have come from Isaac, and Dias rose from his chair. Claude could see in the man’s eyes that his tolerance for the situation had reached its end. He moved toward the door and called over his shoulder, “If you’re kicking me off the mission, then I’m done here. I’ll be packing my bags at the inn and on my way before long.”

“Oh, but…Mr. Flac…” Raveh reached out to him with her hand, but he couldn’t see.

“Save it. Your loudmouth daughter and bumbling villagers are just going to ruin everything, and I won’t be party to it. I’m out of here.”

“Bumbling?” echoed Isaac.

“Loudmouth?” Celine shoved her chair back, fingers curled and ready to pounce. Her mother seized her waist in a futile effort to keep the sorceress from doing something they would all regret. “How rude!”

“I’d say that _you’re_ the rude one.” Dias whirled on her, his icy stare enough proof that he wasn’t the joking type. “You barged in here and disrupted all of our plans. Everything was fine until you came in.” His eyes found Isaac’s. “And if you have your own kind turning on one another, then the bandits have already won.”

He left through the door, the clomping of his boots echoing behind him. Much to Claude’s surprise, Rena darted after him. 

“Wait, Dias,” came her voice as she disappeared from the elder’s home.

Claude bolted from his chair and made a beeline for the door. He didn’t have to go far, as the two lingered under the awning, staring at each other like two lovers who hadn’t seen each other in a long time. It reminded him of those scenes in romantic movies that his mother gushed over, and had forced him to watch with her to combat her loneliness while his father was away in space. Claude hoped that this wasn’t going to be one of those scenes from those romantic movies.

What would happen? Would they embrace? Would they run off together?

…Why was he even _thinking_ these thoughts?

It must’ve been because he knew that Dias’ frozen frown had been melted by Rena’s eyes. Claude knew that he shouldn’t have been surprised. Rena had that kind of power. Even though Claude had only met him just a few minutes ago, it wasn’t hard to gather that Dias wasn’t the smiling sort.

Maybe that’s what made him worry more.

In a voice that Claude wasn’t sure Dias possessed, the swordsman said, “It’s been too long, Rena. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“Same with you, Dias.” She turned away, as though she were a schoolgirl and her secret crush had just kissed her. “When I first saw you, I didn’t realize it was you until Celine’s father made mention of it.”

Dias paused and Claude could see the point of his tongue push into his cheek. “I see.” He turned and went away, earning Rena’s attention long after he’d gone.

Claude watched him, too, but other things were going through his mind.

“What a rude man,” Celine fumed from inside the home. “Father, are you seriously planning on letting that _vagrant_ help us? We could wipe out that pathetic lot of bandits on our own and you know it.”

Egras said, “Celine, please calm yourse—”

“I will _not_ calm myself.”

The squabble continued and when Isaac demanded that she be silent, Celine threatened to grab his cloak and suffocate him with it. Claude normally would’ve found the situation at least a little funny, but all humor failed him. He padded back to his chair, gripped the rest, and allowed Rena’s words to steamroll over his mind. 

“ _Not only is he an honest man, he’s the strongest swordsman in the world.”_

The strongest swordsman…in the world?

A heavy weight chained itself around his chest as he thought, _She thinks so highly of him. More highly of him than me, anyway._

She kept praising Dias over and over. Claude remembered Rena praising him that way when they first met. 

When he had been the _Warrior._

Now that she and Dias were reunited, he feared that all of that would change.

“ _No one can even_ _ **come**_ _close to his skills.”_

 _No one?_ Claude thought and swallowed the lump in his chest. _Not even me?_

Why did this sound so familiar, with Jen rambling on about Connor’s unique style of charging an oncoming opponent, and how he played defense like an unstoppable fortress, and the way his muscles glistened in the rays of the sun because he was too good to wear the team jersey during a game.

“…Rena…” he whispered, but he didn’t know why.

The argument continued for a few more minutes, and then the elder interjected in a loud, stern voice. Always unafraid, Celine told him off just as she had Isaac, her temper unmatched by any in the room. She demanded that the quest be given to her rather than to Dias, who was clearly too unprofessional.

“I know how you feel, Celine.” The elder’s voice dwindled, and did not appear successful in assuaging her, “But we _did_ ask Dias first. Why don’t you join up with him?”

Her fake laughter started in high pitched spurts. Then it graduated to an irritating guffaw that Claude knew was intentional. “I’d never _dream_ of doing such a thing,” she concluded.

Rena turned back to the table after a while, lost in her own thoughts. Claude shot her a look before shifting his eyes to the Jules family. Celine and her father were arguing now, and Isaac jumped in again, as though he hadn’t learned his lesson the first time. Celine’s hands went up, aiming to strangle, when the elder’s loud voice called attention to the room.

“I’m tired of this,” he said and shook his head. “Celine, I have no problem with you helping, but it originally _was_ Dias’ task. It would be rude to turn his assistance away.”

Celine’s eyes narrowed as she said, “What are you saying, Elder?”

“I’m saying that I still want Dias to rescue the children.”

Celine scoffed. Claude watched Rena smile.

“You’re all crazy.” The female sorceress waved them away. “Whatever. I work alone.”

“And I’m sure he feels the same way,” the elder said and cleared his throat.

Isaac must have felt defeat creeping up on him, because he jumped to the elder’s side and begged him to reconsider.

“He’s an outsider, Elder Abelard. How can we trust him?”

“I’m glad that’s my decision to make and not yours.” The elder conjured up a smile and patted Isaac’s shoulder. “I appreciate all the help that you’ve been, as always. We’ll take it from here.”

Slowly moving around the gaping man, the elder made his way to Celine. She groaned, but he was still smiling.

“As you wish, Elder,” Celine turned away, though it seemed apparent she wished to say something further.

“I believe that this meeting is over.” The elder directed his eyes to Raveh and Egras. “Someone should tell Dias that we still are interested in his help before he leaves the village.”

“I’ll do it,” Rena volunteered without a second thought. Somehow, Claude had been expecting that.

The elder nodded. “Very well, young lady. You know him best, so we’ll leave it to you.”

Rena bowed and tore out of the house without another word. He wasn’t sure why he had done it, but Claude jumped from his chair and bolted after her.

“Rena.” He caught up to her before she could get too far from the house.

The Arlian girl faced him, the look on her face reminding him of a child who was going to the ice cream shop even after she had been told “no.”

“I’m going to talk to Dias now,” she announced, like it was the most casual thing in the world.

Claude didn’t think so. “ _Rena._ ” He reached for her arm, which she deftly avoided.

His sharp reply made her jolt, and he instantly regretted how harsh he had sounded.

“I don’t know why you’re so surprised.” Celine crept up behind him and eyed Rena like she had committed the most heinous crime ever. “She _did_ say that they were childhood friends.”

There was so much he wanted to say. He wanted to protest—tell Rena that he was just as good as Dias and could show her so. He wanted to challenge the idea that Dias was the strongest swordsman in her world, and wanted to prove that he was an honest and fair man, too.

Was all of the talk of the Warrior of Light a fleeting idea, then? 

But as much as he wanted to stand and argue, he couldn’t find the courage to do so.

He only bowed his head. “Yeah, I know, but…”

“It’s been a long time since we last saw each other,” Rena’s words, though directed at Celine, seemed to hold some _other_ kind of value. “We have a lot to talk about. Besides, I have to tell him that the elder still wants his help. Knowing him, he’ll pack up and be on his way before long. He’s a natural at up and leaving, you know.”

“Come off it, Rena.” Celine’s snaky smile sent shivers up Claude’s back. He wondered how Rena felt about it. “We all know that there’s more to it than that.”

Rena’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“ _Sure_ you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

Rena backed away from them, wariness and anxiety wearing her face well. She was going to leave. Claude knew it. Celine knew it. Rena knew it. He felt certain they did.

“I’ll see you later,” she said and ran away.

Later.

Later was _much_ later.

Claude didn’t know why he had remained there on the elder’s front porch, waiting for her to come back like a mother for her daughter, or a patient puppy for its master.

Rena took off, running like someone would stop her if she didn’t hurry, and probably kept running until she got to Dias. And once she met him, the two probably shared a heartfelt embrace—maybe more—and spoke to each other in more-than-friendly tones.

Well…Dias didn’t seem like the sort to indulge in passionate kisses, but after seeing him smile at Rena, Claude figured that stranger things were always possible.

The ensign suspected that it had been the same with Alen, too.

He wondered how Rena got away with playing with so many heart strings. She was too much of a kid to realize the consequences of her actions. But she knew what she was doing with Dias well enough.

Claude frowned and grit his teeth together.

Perhaps all women were like that. Jen had done the same thing with Connor, except that the two of them weren’t childhood friends and Connor hadn’t had some tragic past that caused him to up and leave Skyland. The irony of it all had been that she and Claude were the childhood friends, but she never ran after him like Rena ran after Dias. No matter the prologue or the epilogue, Claude had lost his heart to her and hers to Connor.

Maybe he should have taken that shortstop position first.

He wasn’t sure how long he stood waiting. Perhaps it had been half an hour by now. Perhaps forty-five minutes. Inattentively, he tapped his foot against the porch. Celine sighed her millionth sigh. She probably didn’t want to be standing there, either. Claude would’ve told her to go inside and talk to the elder, but he didn’t want to seem like he was worried—which he wasn’t. And he didn’t want to seem like he had been troubled by the idea of what was happening between Rena and Dias at that exact moment—because he wasn’t.

“It’s been a while,” Celine said and exhaled again. She leaned against the wooden post that held up the elder’s awning. “I wonder if Rena’s coming back.” Claude didn’t respond. “Do you think she was exaggerating when she said that he was that good of a swordsman? To be honest, I’ve never even _heard_ of him. Say, I’ll bet it’s something he made up to my father and my father ran with it. What do you think?”

The more she talked about Dias and his famous sword skills, the angrier he became. But he tried to keep cool—tried to stay calm. Lowly, he replied, “I’m sure she wasn’t exaggerating. He seemed pretty confident that he could do it by himself, too.”

Celine snorted and turned away. “I can’t believe Abelard still wants that rogue to help us. If you ask me, Claude, you and I could do it all by ourselves.”

His eyes pinballed to her. “Just the two of us?”

She glanced sideways at him. “I doubt Rena’s going to leave his side now that she’s found him. Don’t you think?”

The idea came off as a sideswipe, and he tried not to grimace. He didn’t want to believe that Rena would do that.

“I think we should offer the idea to Abelard.” She grabbed his arm. “Come on, Claude.”

But he didn’t allow her to pull him. She gave a couple of tugs, but he remained in his spot, like dead weight. 

“I guess…” was all he could say.

She dropped his arm and created fists from her hands. “What’s the matter with you? We could easily convince him, you know.” He didn’t want to hear it. Nothing. Nothing more on the issue. At that point, he really didn’t care who saved the kids. Maybe it was selfish. Maybe it wasn’t.

Maybe he just didn’t know.

Every time he had asked Jen to lunch, she always invited Connor. She’d say that he wanted to hang out with Claude and that she would come along for the ride. She’d even be the one to go and fetch him.

For some reason, until the last time he saw her, Claude believed her.

“Whatever,” Celine said and stepped off of the porch. Then she craned her head to the far left and held her hand above her eyes like a visor. “Rena’s coming.”

Just like the dog anticipating his master, it was the cue Claude needed to lift his head and step in next to Celine. He scanned the horizon. “Where? Where?” was what he wanted to ask, but then he saw her, out of breath, a smile on her face.

His spirits dropped.

He didn’t want to know what came next.

“You’re late,” Celine said as Rena approached them. With a cocked eyebrow, she asked, “Did that man do something to you?”

Rena ignored the question, something else seemingly weighing heavy on her mind. She blurted out, “I want Dias to join our group.”

Claude’s world stood still.

Was that a demand? A request? A thought?

“…I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” Celine asked, but Claude was certain that she had heard perfectly.

Rena interlocked her fingers in front of her dress and swayed. “I asked Dias and he said that he would fight with us. He doesn’t have a problem with it at all.”

Claude’s eyes fell to the ground and traced the silhouettes of several blades of grass. He wondered about Rena’s words and her decision to not discuss Dias coming along with them first. Did she have such little faith in their abilities? 

_**My**_ _abilities?_ came Claude’s specific thought.

Celine was more vocal than he and apparently had more courage to be that way. Folding her arms to possibly signify that the matter was a closed one, she said, “I see. It’s understandable that he’d listen to his cute girlfriend, right?”

Rena lunged forward, her face inches away from Celine’s. Claude flinched at the sudden movement. “I wish you’d stop making those cracks, Celine,” she snapped. “It has nothing to do with that. I just think that we should take advantage of his help. He’d be a tremendous asset to us.”

Celine leaned back, her face showing signs of incredulity. Though she didn’t make any further remarks about Rena and Dias’ rendezvous, she remained stony. She looked to Claude and asked, “What do you think?”

She was setting him up. Setting him up to finally voice what had been on his mind the entire time. And Rena stared at him with those puppy-eyes that she was so good at making. Jen could’ve been her rival with those puppy-eyes. She’d beg Claude to let Connor come to the movies with them and then sit next to him if Fredrick and Michael tagged along. Puppy-eyes were his weakness, he realized. And any other time, he thought he would’ve given in to Rena, but he knew that this was about Dias and not him.

And that made him madder.

“He already said that he didn’t need our help,” Claude said with a shrug. “Why should we team up?”

Just as he expected, her eyes fell. She wasn’t hurt, he seemed sure, only disappointed that he had said, “no.”

Her tone fell soft as she said, “How could you say that, Claude?”

He was tired of it. He was tired of her making that face and that, all the while, she was making it on Dias’ behalf. 

He hadn’t meant to, but he snapped, “It’s true, right, Rena? If he’s as good as he says he is, then we don’t really need him.”

Claude felt amazingly better, as though he had gotten something huge off of his chest, and wished he could’ve been as blunt to Jen when she asked him if they could bring Connor along while they went stargazing and, though he had wanted to make it a date, caved in to her wishes. He felt better, but wasn’t sure if it was so amazing after Rena turned away from him without a second thought.

“Is that so?” she asked, though it didn’t appear like much of a question. “Well, I guess I’m going with Dias, then.”

Suddenly, the giant weight returned to his chest, heavier and more burdensome than before. He gawked, eyes wide, and felt his fingers twitch.

“Rena?” Celine blinked, in much of the same state.

Rena walked away from him—wouldn’t even look at him anymore. Her stride was strong and proud, and, undoubtedly, pissed.

“Maybe _you_ don’t need him, Claude,” she called over her shoulder, “but _I_ do.”

The knife in his chest twisted and turned, the aching stronger and more volatile. He couldn’t speak. He didn’t dare speak. He realized that Jen would’ve said the same thing if he had refused Connor’s presence. Rena ran away from him, tearing down the street as quickly as she had come, and didn’t look back.

“Oh well. Let her do what she wants.” Celine’s eyes burned into him, but Claude couldn’t pay attention. “It’s just you and me then, Claude. We should make our final preparations and then get some sleep. Tomorrow, we kick those bandits out of our forest.”

Her enthusiasm didn’t rub off on him. 

And even though she pulled and beckoned him to come inside, Rena’s words spiraled around in his mind. He couldn’t get rid of them. Claude couldn’t even quite describe what it was that he was feeling.

He wished she were still standing there. He knew what he wanted to say to her, even if it had come too late.

 _So, what?_ he thought. _You don’t need me…?_

***

“ _I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting you to come by.”_

_Dias’ eyes were on her before she reached the top of the stairs. Rena peered over the stair rail and fumbled with the ends of her skirt. His room appeared more like an attic, as though the inn hadn’t had the vacancy to support his presence. But they were in Mars, not the city, and the small space appeared to be all that the inn could offer, strangely enough for something to be considered an “inn.”_

_Dias sat on the bed, in the back of the room, the headboard nestled against a sloping ceiling. An armoire and vanity sat across from the bed, both of which appeared untouched. The corner of Dias’ travel pack poked out from under the bed, a mahogany blanket pulled through the opening of the drawstring. He held his naked blade in one hand and a sharpening stone in the other. Only two rooms existed within the inn, both of which were open spaces that lacked doors. Perhaps the inn had been a home before, what with the lack of privacy each had to offer. Celine had said it before, but Rena could begin to believe that Mars did not get many visitors._

_She smiled and pointed to his untouched bag. “I thought you were rounding up your things to leave.”_

“ _I already paid for the night and they don’t do refunds.” He sighed and set the blade and stone aside. “What are you doing out of Arlia, Rena? Why are you with these vagabonds?”_

_Her head snapped up. “They’re_ _**not** _ _vagabonds, Dias. They’re my friends, and we’re going to El Continent to investigate the Sorcery Globe.”_

“… _What?” escaped his lips and he stood, his boots thudding against the wooden floor. He didn’t wear the expression of fear very often, and she could only remember one prominent time. “That’s suicide. You should return home immediately.”_

“ _I won’t.” She shook her head and then announced, “I have a message from the elder.”_

_He sighed again and his shoulders relaxed._ _“_ _You don’t have to stand all the way over there, you know,” he said and sat on the bed again. “We aren’t_ _strangers,_ _Rena.”_

_She accepted the verbal invitation and climbed the last two steps. Nearing him, she continued, “He wants you to still help rescue the children…if you’re up for it.”_

_Dias stared at her with cold, dead eyes that she didn’t remember him having prior to leaving Arlia. It pained her that he had mastered how to lose the light in his eyes. The Dias she knew had spirit and life. She wondered if he still had it, deep down, or if it had also died that day._

“ _Is that all he had to say?” but his words appeared directed at her from the inflection in his voice and the frown on his face._

_She licked her rough, cracked lips and cleared her throat. Dias had never been hard to talk to. As a child, she could confide in him about anything. When her father died, he had been there, pockets full of candy and a handcrafted daisy tiara. She could talk to him about anything then. She wondered if she still could._

_She cleared her throat and said, “I want you to fight alongside us.”_

_He laughed, but it was far from genuine. She expected him to do that._

_Dias reached for his sword and stone and said, “Are your friends all down on their knees begging for me to come help them?”_

_Rena’s eyes fell to the floor, not sure whether to tell him the truth or lie. Either way, he probably already knew without having her spill her guts to the floor. Dias had known her for a very, very long time, but, seeing him the way he was now, she wondered if she knew him at all anymore. With how many times her wonderment had appeared in such a short span of time, she felt certain she didn’t. He appeared so much colder than when she and he were children. He didn’t laugh, didn’t smile, and didn’t play like he used to._

_He was a swordsman—a_ _**warrior** _ _now._

_She cast those thoughts aside and opened her mouth to speak. “I know you could defeat the bandits by yourself, Dias—”_

“ _If you already know that, then why bother asking me to fight with you?”_

 _And he was so aloof. Anger sparked within her. Rena marched over to the bed and towered over him with her balled hands on her hips. He didn’t bother looking up, but she wouldn’t lose her resolve._

“ _Why do you have to be like that, Dias?” He harrumphed and sharpened his blade against the stone. The grinding caused her to flinch and her ears twitched, but didn’t stop her from continuing, “You like to think that you’re all big and powerful and that shoving other people away makes you strong. But guess what? It doesn’t. It just means that you’re too scared to accept other people.”_

“ _Don’t lecture me.” He set the sword and stone aside again and stood. Rena stumbled back, the chest of Dias close to her face. Even as a child, he always hung like a giant over her. “We don’t see each other for years and the first thing you decide to do when you_ _ **do**_ _see me is give me a hard time? I don’t need it.” She thought that he would end the conversation there and dismiss her, but he amazed her with a smile. She felt pleased that smiles were still alive within him. He stepped forward and used a hand to ruffle her hair, “You’re a brat.”_

 _She wanted to smile with his smile. It would prove that they were still friends—still meant_ _ **something**_ _to each other._

_But she found herself saying, “I’m not a child anymore, Dias.”_

_His smile evolved into a low, dry chuckle, and he said, “Oh, is that right? It’s only been two years since I last saw you.”_

_Rena pulled back, flushing. For all of her hard talk, it seemed that she was the one who ended up sounding childish after all. Fifteen and seventeen meant nothing. She was still a teenager, he was an adult. She was still a child._

_She stammered out, “I…but…I…”_

_Dias straightened his back and crossed his arms, the folds of his cloak and tunic tightening against his arms. “Well, since it_ _**is** _ _my sister begging and whining…I guess I have no choice, do I?”_

_For a moment, she thought that her heart would skip a beat. He still considered her his sister. He had agreed to do something, and that something was for_ _her._ _It didn’t seem like things had changed at all, even after the incident. She couldn’t help but feel as though she had done the world a favor and it made it all the more special because he was doing it for her and her alone. She wondered if Claude and Celine would be just as happy to hear the good news as she._

_It took all of her willpower not to strangle him in a hug. Instead, she bowed and said, “Thank you, Dias.”_

_But it seemed that he wasn’t finished. “Bear in mind, Rena, if those guys drag me down, I’ll leave them behind.”_

“ _Oh, they won’t. I promise.” She couldn’t wait to tell the others. It made her so happy to think that they would all be fighting together at last. “After all, we have the Warrior with us.”_

_For the second time in just a few minutes, a strange expression cracked Dias’ face. It appeared that he was waiting for an explanation, and, when she wasn’t quick enough to provide one, asked, “What are you talking about?”_

_She recited, “‘When the people of Expel suffer at the hands of a terrible evil, a Warrior in a strange costume from another world shall arrive and banish this wickedness with his Sword of Light.’”_

_His eyebrows knitted together and his mouth relaxed into a frown, as though she were speaking gibberish and he had been expecting it. “Why are you bringing up our prophecy?”_

“ _Because,” she said, “I believe Claude to be our Warrior.”_

_All traces of his frown vanished the moment the words left her mouth, and Dias appeared strangely uncomfortable. He drew back, as though the confession had hurt him physically._

“ _You’re talking about your blonde companion, right?” he asked and dodged her gaze. “That man?”_

“ _Yes.” She couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face. “He’s saved me before with his Sword of Light, and he’s proven himself to be quite the swordsman. Dias, I believe that we can help him on this quest.”_

_Dias held his gaze on her. “Sword of Light? You’re saying that that man is actually the legendary Warrior?”_

_A chill filled Rena’s chest and she snapped her mouth shut. Claude wouldn’t be happy if he knew that she had told Celine and Dias how she felt, especially after his vehement denial of being the Warrior._

_She averted her eyes and said, “W-Well, I can’t say for sure. He says that he’s not, but I believe he is.” She allowed herself a nervous giggle in hopes that Dias would drop the subject. “Don’t tell him I told you that, all right?” She didn’t wait for him to reply before spinning on her heels and walked back toward the stairs. From over her shoulder, she said, “Cecille says ‘thanks,’ too.”_

_She knew that that would bring his mind and words to a halt. It always did._

“ _Wish I could hear her,” he mumbled as her hand found the stair railing and she descended. “Heaven’s kind of far away…”_

***

Her whole conversation with Dias seemed moot now, especially since nothing had gone as planned. She trudged upstairs to his room, eyes trailing each step up to the top, heart heavy and mind occupied. Rena wasn’t exactly sure what to say to Dias. Knowing him, he had expected this, too.

“From the look on your face, I’d say that things didn’t go very well,” he said, eyes focused on sharpening his blade, just as she had left him.

It was true. He knew her better than she knew him.

“You aren’t even _looking_ at me,” she said and sighed.

“I don’t have to. I can hear it in your steps.”

He ran his sharpening stone up and down the blade of his sword in a repeated fashion. It scratched against the steel like something heavy on a chalkboard. She hated that sound.

“I’m coming with you,” she blurted out and then winced. Rena knew better than to make demands of Dias. She could only get away with it so many times.

He stopped sharpening his sword long enough to glance at her from over his shoulder. His face held no emotion, so it was hard to predict what he was thinking. “You?” was all he said.

“I promise I won’t hold you back,” she rushed her words and moved to his side. “And…And I have this healing power, remember?”

He continued to stare at her and she wondered if he was messing with her or really contemplating taking her with him. His next set of words worried her tremendously. If he refused her, she would be forced to go back to Claude and Celine. She doubted that after that little episode, either of them wanted to see her. If Dias refused her, where would she go? Claude and Celine would venture into the forest with or without her—that much she knew.

Dias went back to sharpening his blade. “Even if I told you ‘no,’ it wouldn’t stop you, would it?” She wanted to protest, but held her tongue. She thought that it would be the best thing to do. “So I suppose I might as well save us both the hassle of you following me around like a lost puppy dog and just agree to it.”

She couldn’t bring a smile to her face, even though she thought that she would’ve been happier.

She bowed her head, hands clasped in front of her. “Thank you, Dias.”

He set the blade and stone aside, and reached into his travel pack. “This time, your words of thanks didn’t sound so spirited,” he said as he pushed an arm through the opening, wiggled it around, and pulled back. 

“That’s because I was saying, ‘I’m sorry,’ at the same time,” she said in a whisper that she hadn’t expected.

He shot her a look before returning his attention to the pack. Dias withdrew his arm, something in his fist, and placed it over her hand. “If you’re going with me, I don’t want any excuses for lack of items. Take this FOL and go stock up.”

Gawking at the pouch, she lightly protested, “I have FOL, Dias.”

“Then spend your FOL on you and spend my FOL on me.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line and she resisted the urge to argue. She took the pouch and held it to her chest. Nodding, she agreed to be back soon and left him to his work.

It was true that she admired Dias with all of her heart. As a child, she looked up to him more than anyone else in the world. She met him in the Shingo Forest on a day she had been particularly naughty and hid from her parents to avoid getting in trouble. He had been sent to find her by Regis, because Dias knew the Shingo Forest better than even Rena. That meant that he knew all of the secret hiding places, too, and had little trouble finding her feet sticking out from underneath a lightning struck log.

Seeing the shaggy-haired boy for the first time was a memory Rena wouldn’t soon forget. He seemed so out of place at that time, his farm clothes and face stained with dirt and sticky, green remnants of plant and vegetable matter. Light freckles speckled his cheeks and nose, and his long, lanky body stood like a crooked tree branch, as though he didn’t fit quite right within his own skin and bones. His hand held her ankle after having pulled her from under the log, and she remembered screaming into his face before darting back toward the village.

Although an Arlian born and raised boy, Rena had never seen him before that day because he and his family lived on the outskirts, tending to the farm, and only came into town to deliver produce and trade resources. Even still, Rena couldn’t understand how someone had had more love for the Shingo Forest than she, and how she had never seen Dias before in all of her nine years.

She asked him once and he shrugged. “I’ve seen you loads of times. I always thought you knew I was there but never wanted to say hi.” 

The Flacs were well-known by everyone, but Rena had only been introduced under unfortunate circumstances. Shortly after informally meeting Dias for the first time, her father passed away unexpectedly. Although a tragic memory, he introduced her to his sister, Cecille, and the two spent every day together. 

Dias became the big brother Rena never had, but, deep down, he was so much more than that.

A long time ago, he believed in the Warrior of Light, too. They spent hours talking about the Warrior—who he could be, what he looked like, where he came from, and where he would show up first on Expel. As a child, she remembered wanting him to be that Warrior and to save everyone like he had saved her from her sadness. She knew that it couldn’t be possible—Dias didn’t fit with the prophecy, since he was an Expellian, but it made her happy at the thought. She loved him with all of her heart.

Rena crossed the road from the inn and made her way into Geoffrey’s grocery store. It smelled of herbs and a scented candle burned somewhere in the back. The aisles were close and cramped, but stocked tightly with anything and everything she could possibly want. For a small village, the grocer’s store put Arlia’s to shame. Her eyes drifted to all of the various products decorating the shop.

She recognized most of the herbs on the shelves, but several were unfamiliar and she wondered about the regions in which they had been harvested. Somewhere off Cross Continent? No, that didn’t seem likely. Heraldic Art users proved to be resourceful, and no breed of people were finer when it came to magic and herbs. Her eyes moved on.

It was not Geoffrey at the counter, but a young man who appeared slightly older than Claude. His pock-marked face and bright red cheeks were the first things that Rena could see, and then his baggy, blue overalls, teal cloak, and white tunic. He seemed to be in the middle of writing a list, though Rena couldn’t be sure. She knelt down to take a straw basket, and strolled through the first aisle, past the herbs she did not recognize.

As children, Dias always had candy in his pockets and would share them with Rena and his sister. Although considered a man at seventeen, he always took extra time to spend with them. The first time he dubbed Rena his “second sister,” she thought that her heart would melt. He was the sweetest boy in Arlia, and Rena’s prince when the night came and she did nothing but think little thoughts whilst staring at the ceiling in bed. He was never good with a sword, actually quite clumsy when it came down to it, but Rena never minded. 

Standing on her tiptoes, Rena reached up to the top of the shelf and swiped at the herbs. They were out of her reach, so she jumped, and seized a bunch. Plants around it toppled over, but created no great mess. She shoved the herbs into the basket and moved on before the grocer boy noticed. Salves and remedies were on the next aisle, and all within her reach, much to her relief.

When the accident happened that left Dias alone, Rena couldn’t initially understand his sudden decision to leave the village and become the best swordsman ever. He was going to go and be a Warrior elsewhere, and Rena wouldn’t see him anymore.

A Warrior…

It had been strange, wanting him to be the Warrior of Light when there was no light left in him. It pained her to see him now. She hadn’t wanted to admit it at the time, but the reason Rena had been unable to recognize him was not because he had changed physically. She wanted to believe in him, but she couldn’t move beyond his new self.

She wanted the old Dias back.

He knew everything about her, yet, she knew nothing about the new him. It was as though everything he had been was erased. His hometown could no longer be Arlia, he could no longer have his childhood friends, and it seemed he had become unworthy to bear the name “Dias Flac.” It seemed unfair, especially since he was her everything.

Rena turned a jar of salve over in her hands before placing it into the basket. She found several bunches of berries from other baskets down the next aisle and held up a glass jar of antidote. She scrunched her eyes to give the label a thorough examination, and decided to take it with her.

Claude was a different sort, though. She honestly believed him to be the Warrior of Light sent to save their world, despite his denial. Dias couldn’t be the Warrior. Dias didn’t possess something that Claude did.

The will to protect others. 

Rena’s eyes dropped to the few items in her basket, nowhere near enough to justify a trip to the grocery store.

Though it was true that Dias had saved her from sadness as a child, in the two short weeks she had known Claude, she had seen, firsthand, his ability to save lives. Although out of their way, and Celine had been dishonest, he went to Cross Cave to help her because he didn’t appear the type to say no to someone in need.  

But he didn’t want Dias to join them in battle. Why? Why had he done that? All Rena wanted was to have the two strongest people she could think of fighting together to save everyone. Was that wrong?

She shook her head to clear the unpleasant thoughts, and focused in on her basket again. Concluding that she needed nothing else, she made her way to the counter. Along the way, her eyes beheld a small, tan knapsack bigger than her current bag. She yanked it from the rack and shoved it into the basket. She greeted the young man, set the basket on the ground, and proceeded to withdraw items. Her hand brushed over the antidote before bumping elbows with another body behind her. The person behind her grunted, causing her to fumble with the antidote.

“I’m sorry,” came her absentminded response. Her eyes caught those of the person she had collided into, and held her breath.

Claude glared at her like she was his worst enemy. He, too, carried different products in his arms. She struggled to find something to say to him, but under that horrible gaze, she found herself to be too cowardly.

“Go ahead,” he finally said, nodding to the counter.

“Thanks.” She stepped in front of him, hiding her flushed face, and continued to place everything on the counter. She was glad that only the grocer boy could see her anxiety, but he offered only a wry smile in return.

All the while, she anticipated Claude saying something, but felt terribly disappointed when the purchase was made in silence.

“Here you go.” The grocer boy handed her the bag and she sidestepped to let Claude in.

She contemplated whether or not it would be appropriate to wait for him, but he didn’t seem to care one way or the other when he wordlessly walked up to the counter and dropped his items in front of the grocer boy. The grocer boy made a list of all the items Claude had.

She watched him and chewed on her lip. Before she knew it, her foot tapped in rapid succession against the floor, and she popped her tongue in her cheek. Still, he wouldn’t acknowledge her. 

The silence eating her alive, she blurted out, “I’m not changing my mind, you know. I’m going with Dias.”

Claude helped the grocer boy pack his things into a burlap sack. “That’s fine.”

His back to her, he kept a fluid motion of handing items to the grocer boy, the grocer boy writing them down, and Claude setting them into the sack. He stood tall, an indiscernible look on his face, almost placid and imperturbable. Rena hated it.

She continued, “I don’t understand why you won’t let Dias join us, Claude. He’s an invaluable swordsman and a wonderful addition to our group. You’re being really stubborn, you know. You and Celine both.”

The grocer boy gave Claude a total and he nodded as he reached into his back pocket. He produced a wallet, flipped it open, and flashed FOL in the air.

“I’m serious,” Rena kept going, though, deep down, she knew it was pointless. “I won’t change my mind.”

Rena recognized the tense expression on the grocer boy’s face. He helped Claude finish bagging the groceries and pushed them toward him, “Here, sir.”

“Thanks,” Claude said.

Rena blew air into her cheeks and watched Claude put the wallet back into his pocket.

She stepped toward him, a million things to say at the ready on her tongue. “Claude—”

“You need Dias, right?” He stared down at her, eyes narrow and unforgiving. His tense mouth pressed into a firm line that twitched at one side. She had never, _ever_ imagined that he would look that way at her. Cowering under her own weight, Rena shrank back. He said, “If you don’t need me, don’t bother talking to me.”

He brushed past and left her alone in the store.


	12. Here Comes Alen Tax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Although they've gone their separate ways, Rena and Claude traverse deep into the Heraldic Forest to find the missing children and the leader of the bandits. As Rena travels with Dias and Claude with Celine, both realize what it means to be a team, and the gravity of those stakes. As if the trouble between them hadn't been enough, Alen Tax arrives from Salva in search of Rena and Claude with news of his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many apologies for the delayed update to the story; this summer has been nothing but busy, leaving me with little time for updates. It's an extra long chapter today to make up for it, and I hope that it's a satisfying one. I'll try to keep the update shorter the next time around :)
> 
> This chapter's got quite a bit of violence, so warning on that note.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> ~ML

**\/\/\/**

**An Ocean of Mirrors**

**Chapter Twelve**

**Here Comes Alen Tax**

**\/\/\/**

_Unfallen tears obscured Rena’s vision as she fled down an unmarked path deep into the Shingo Forest. She paid no mind to the protruding root that stabbed the place in her ankle where her shoe left her leg exposed, and she didn’t flinch when she shoved back a tree branch to pass underneath and it whipped her in the face. The pain stung only for a moment before she felt crushed beneath the weight of grief and threw her head back to scream into the sky._

_Through all of it, the wind never calmed, the birds continued their song, and everything kept on…_

_…living…_

_Everything. Except her father._

_She furiously wiped her face and eyes and growled, but nothing, save the growing exhaustion in her body, changed. Stepping out from behind the tree and into a clump of wild grass and scattered daisies, she seated herself on a hollowed stump and slumped over until her face came to rest between her knees. She held herself there for a long time, tears trailing the skin of her legs until they disappeared into her tall socks. Her breath warmed the tops of her knees as she embraced her ankles, wishing she would disappear into the steady wind._

_The suns disappeared behind a canopy of lush leaves by the time Rena lifted herself, head light and dizzy from crying. She felt disoriented, but one particular thought triggered the dam of tears from her eyes and she shook and sputtered until she thought she would vomit. She knew her mother would be worried; it wasn’t as though she had told anyone she was leaving, and a part of her wished she wouldn’t have to return._

_Not only had she lost her father, but a terrible secret had involuntarily been exposed on the same day. She was different—not a Lanford. Not an Arlian. Rena turned her hands over and over, staring and wondering about the thing that made her different than all of the other Arlians she knew. Her best friend, Alen, reminded her that no one else could produce a warm, white glow from her hands, especially one that could heal the wounded._

_Rena had wanted to use that same warm, white glow to help her father, but everyone told her that by the time Regis and the others found him, he was long gone. She couldn’t understand it. He had only gone away for a few days to collect wood for the new additions to their home. How could this have happened?_

_“There you are. Everyone’s worried sick about you.”_

_Rena jolted at the unfamiliar voice. Her head whipped up at the sound of footsteps crunching twigs and foliage. She hardly could recognize the lanky, navy-haired boy from behind the wall of tears in her eyes. Her shoulders drew up close to her ears, and she squeezed her arms between her thighs. He must not have liked her expression because he stopped where he stood and held himself like a statue._

_She eyed him with intense wariness, silently pondering why the same boy who had pulled her from under the log some weeks earlier had come in search of her again. It wasn’t long before the exhaustion in her concluded that the answer was unnecessary. She gave him her profile and snapped, “Go away.”_

_“I’m afraid I can’t leave unless you come with me.” He approached her again, albeit, much slower this time. “When your mother and the mayor realized you were missing, they formed a search party right away.”_

_Rena hadn’t believed she’d been away for that long, but another look to the sky proved that the suns had disappeared from the canopy of leaves where it had been before. A guilty pang pierced her when she spotted the first evening star in the sky. Thick ribbons of strawberry and orange colored clouds hung like cotton candy above her._

_“Oh,” was all she could manage._

_He towered over her tiny frame, but was quick to kneel once she dropped her head into her hands. She couldn’t help it. Tears seeped between her fingers as she wailed into the flesh of her palms._

_His hand found her shoulder and he squeezed it with a firm gentleness._ _“Stop crying. If you cry too much, you won’t have any tears left. You should laugh with me. If you laugh, then the things that are wrong won’t seem so bad.”_

_Rena couldn’t stop the growl from escaping in the back of her throat and slapped his hand away._

_“What would you know about the things that are wrong?” she retorted. “You don’t know anything! Nothing!”_

_The boy’s mouth clamped shut, and she was sure he would abandon her to her misery. But, instead, he dug into the loose fold of his dull, teal tunic pocket and withdrew several colorful balls wrapped in rice paper._

_He held it up to her and said, “Here, do you want some candy? I’ll give you some.”_

_She stared dumbly at his offering and felt a lone tear drip from her face. He appeared insistent as he took one of her small hands into his larger one and dropped four or five candies into her palm. One bounced off of her thumb, but she managed to catch it in her other hand._

“ _That’s right. Hold out your hand…” he said, even though he had hold of it. He continued to drop more into her hand until she was forced to use her other to cup the growing pool of candy in her palms. “There you are. Is that enough? I have more if you want some. Don’t be shy, I have plenty.”_

_“No…” she mumbled and shook her head. “This…This is more than plenty.”_

_He chuckled, as though it had been his plan all along. Her hands slick with tears wet the rice paper, causing them to stick to each other and her skin. She sighed in frustration as she tried to pry them apart. He seated himself in the grass next to her and placed the rest back into his pocket._

“ _By the way, I’m Dias Flac. What’s your name?”_

_She stared at the mess in her hands and came to the conclusion that there was no choice but to eat them all. She struggled to unwrap one until he took it from her, pulled on the paper, and placed the exposed, green candy back in her hand._

“ _Rena,” she replied in a quiet voice. “Rena Lanford.” But, somehow, she felt he knew that already._

_He turned his gaze heavenward. “A pleasure to finally be introduced, Rena.” Then he grinned. “You’re right around my sister Cecille’s age. You should meet her.”_

_But Rena didn’t feel like making new friends. She wanted her father back. Her eyes trailed the contour of the sticky, green candy in her hands, its sugar coat melting into the creases of her palm. Before she knew it, her bottom lip quivered in prelude to crying again._

_This time, he did not take her shoulder. He took to sitting on his knees and scoured the ground for daisies, which were in short supply where he sat, and picked thick grass blades. She watched him, uneaten candies still in her hands. His fingers nimbly worked at the ends of each blade, tying them together into a long, green string. He wove in the two or three daisies, humming a nonsensical tune as he went. She watched him with a slight curiosity and wondered how a boy of his age would take the time to learn how to make daisy chains. Two large tears spilled down her cheeks, but she paid them no mind this time._

“ _I do this for Cecille whenever she’s having a rough time,” he admitted, his eyes never leaving his handiwork. “You see, it’s hard growing up on the outskirts of the village. There aren’t any children her age, so she doesn’t have any friends.” Rena found herself mesmerized by how his long fingers threaded each blade through the next, deftly tied off the ends, and moved to the next blade. He braided them together without breaking a single piece, and strung another daisy in between one of the braids. Dias continued, “I’m sure she’d love to make some, though.”_

“ _Why don’t you come into the village more, then?” she murmured through tear-coated lips. She licked them to remove the salt._

“ _Well, it’s tough since we have the farm to maintain,” he said. “There’s no real reason to come here every day if we don’t have anything to sell.” He stopped working long enough to slyly glance sideways at her. “Buuuuuut…if Cecille had a friend to come visit, then I’m sure my family would be willing to make the trip more often. I can manage the buggy pretty well these days. And the horses are very friendly.”_

_Rena had only seen horses from afar and never ridden any, even Alen’s, although he was allowed to ride all of the time. Her parents never allowed it. Now, only her mother would be around to forbid it._

_Before she had the chance to wallow at the thought, he opened his mouth to speak again, “So, I mean, I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do, but it sure would be nice to see my sister smile.” He finished tying off the grass blades and held the finished product up for Rena to see, thumbs looped through each end to display the daisy tiara in full regalia._

_Rena had to admit, it looked very pretty._

“ _So what do you say?” he asked and leaned forward to crown her with it. She flinched, not expecting the sudden closeness, but he didn’t appear to notice. He adjusted the tiara on her head, sat back, and observed. Then he leaned in again to brush a loose strand of hair that had stuck to the side of her face with the side of his thumb. “It would look a lot prettier if you weren’t crying.”_

_She imagined how she must’ve looked from his point of view: a pretty flower tiara atop the head of a sullen nine-year old, tear streaked face with swollen eyes and cheeks, and a handful of melting candies dripping through her fingers in a sticky mess. Much to her surprise, he laughed._

“ _You can’t meet Cecille if you sit here all day, though,” he said. “So, tell you what, I’ll let you hold on to the candy and tiara if you want a piggyback ride home.” He held out his hand expectantly, and was very patient, even while she deliberated on the prospect of heading back to the village with a stranger._

_It took a bit of thought, but a piggyback ride sounded nice, and she was too tired to walk._

“ _My father always gave me piggyback rides,” she said, her voice low and mournful._

“ _Then I’ll make sure to make it extra fun,” he said. “We can even stop by the candy store on the way home.”_

_Her eyes fell to the uneaten candy in her hands. “But, I haven’t even finished these.”_

_He helped her to her feet, to which she did little to resist. “Good thing we have some time before we make it back to Arlia.” He grinned another grin and hoisted her onto his shoulders._

_She would come to love those grins._

_***_

“We’re behind schedule,” Dias said in a not so quiet voice, and shook Rena awake. “We have to get moving.”

She lay there for a minute, eyes spinning. Rena tried to remember where she was. Dias waited by her bedside, tapping his foot with clear impatience. She stirred, moving her numb limbs, and tossed her covers back, discouraged.

“Mmm…what time is it?” she asked, voice barely audible and vision blurry.

“It’s time for you to get up. I’ve been awake for a while now.” Dias leaned down and added in a low voice, “Should I leave you behind in that case?”

His words banished all fatigue and Rena sat up. “I’m awake, I’m awake.”

But she wasn’t awake.

She anticipated the chilly air when they stepped outside, but nothing could quite prepare her when it hit her naked legs. Her thin knee-high socks were useless, and smoothing down her skirt helped even less. She wished that she had invested her FOL on a thick cloak to replace her cape rather than herbs. Rena shivered, goosebumps appearing on her legs and arms. The suns clipped the top of the mountains overhead, swirls of fiery colors blanketing the sky. Though slightly dark, Rena knew that the height of the morning would be upon them soon.

“No one’s even awake,” she protested, remembering the warmth of her bed, the first one she had had in many, many days. She wished she had been able to enjoy it more, but sleep eluded her most of the night. She just couldn’t get the argument between her and her friends out of her head.

Remembering it in full regalia sent a pang through her chest, the visual of Claude leaving her behind in the store causing her teeth to clench. Celine had been outside the whole time and when Rena caught her eyes, even she would not speak to the Arlian girl. Rena felt worse than before. And, as if that hadn’t been enough, her mind deemed it appropriate to focus in on the memory of her and Dias’ first meeting. Now, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Dias sighed. “You want to be awake when they are?”

Rena snapped herself to attention and caught the last bit of what Dias said. At first, she thought he meant the bandits, but then realized that he had been referring to Claude and Celine.

“O-Of course not,” she stammered.

He held something in his arms, and walked around the corner of the inn, his sheath tapping against his shin. He sharpened his blade for a long time that night, long after she came back from the grocer’s store. She wanted to talk to him, but silence was almost always his reply. She wondered if silence was how he prepared himself for any given moment. Like the moment of battle.

He really _had_ changed.

“The bandits will be off their guard by this time, too,” Dias explained. “We can get the jump on them.” Then he stopped and turned around. His eyes glanced down at the bundle in his arms before passing them off to her. “Here.”

Looking them over, dumbly, she recognized the form of brown, leather boots. She asked, “What are these?”

He pointed down, where a twin set occupied his feet. “They’re mud boots. The elder told me that there are some impassable parts in the swamp. These boots will help us cross those parts.”

The boots fit him well, as it would a natural traveler. Upon examining hers again, she realized that they were two sizes too big. She didn’t want to complain, and knelt to remove her shoes and socks, then placed them inside of her new knapsack. 

“So,” Rena reached down to pull up on the boots. They were as loose as she had feared, but promised herself to make do. “Since you gave me these boots, does that mean you’ve accepted me as your partner?”

Tugging up on the other boot, she watched his feet move away and stared after his retreating form.

“Whatever,” he called back.

Rena hopped to her feet and dashed after him, trying to keep her boots on. “Come on, Dias, it’ll be fun working together.”

“Sure, if you call bandit slaying ‘fun.’” Then he stuffed his hand into his pocket and offered her a clenched fist. Eyes cast to the other side of the village, he said, “Here.”

He dropped a small band into her waiting hands. It made a small chink as it landed in her palm and she stared down at it. It didn’t take long to recognize the shape of a thin, blue-gem embroidered bracelet cradled in her fingers.

“Dias,” she breathed.

“The owner of the accessory shop asked me to save his daughter and offered this as payment. It would look pretty stupid on me, though.”

She pondered the merit of truth to his story. Surely, the owner would’ve given a man something more useful, like a pendant, or bracer, or something imbued with Heraldic magic. A feminine bracelet seemed out of place.

“It’s gorgeous,” she said and slipped it over her wrist. She held up her hand and turned it in the suns’ light. The gems glittered and the silver sparkled. “What kind of stones?”

He moved on. “Who knows? Sapphires or lapis lazuli, I guess.”

She stifled her giggle and followed his lead. If she knew anything about Dias, it was that he loved nature and everything with it. Stones were a specialty of his. She jumped in front of him, locked her fingers behind her back, and giggled. “Say, remember the first time you made a tiara for me out of daisies?”

He halted in his tracks and stared at her as though she had said the silliest thing. Rena tilted her head and wondered how much of their childhood he could remember. Though it hurt her to admit it, she found that she wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t remember a single thing. However, it hurt the most to think that he had forgotten the day they met.

“Let’s get moving.” He tore his gaze from her and walked on.

She didn’t try to stifle her sigh as she gazed after him, arms swaying and forest green cape ruffling after.

 _Yeah…_ she thought, miserably. _He doesn’t remember._

Maybe…he didn’t _want_ to remember.

Making the effort to move in beside him, Dias instructed the guardsman at the forest’s edge to move.

“You’re going in already?” he asked with a yawn.

“I’d prefer not to dance around this.” Dias glanced sideways at Rena and said, “From here, we won’t be too far off from the hideout. You sure you want to go through with this?”

She rubbed her fingers together, and shoved thoughts of Claude and Celine and their wicked words from her mind as she blurted out, “Of course.”

Dias chuckled, but she found it far too early in the morning to be energetic, much less enthusiastic. Even the village guardsman seemed to be having a horrible time staying awake.

Dias nodded and said, “Come on then,” before leading the way inside.

She stared at his back, remembering her first piggyback ride on his shoulders, hands cupped with melting candies, and a beautiful daisy tiara crowned upon her head.

\/\/\/

“Well, that settles it.” Celine stepped out of the inn. “They’re not here.”

“What?” Claude did a double take and it took him a moment longer to comprehend what she said.

“They must’ve left early this morning.” Celine looked out toward the center of the village. “I suppose I underestimated their common sense.”

Claude’s eyes lowered, anxiousness sweeping over him.

He hadn’t slept well, either, despite having found himself in a fluffy bed inside Celine’s parents’ guest room. Even the delicious meal and hot bath hadn’t been as grand as he hoped.

Guilt chipped away at him about what had happened in the grocer’s store and secretly wanted to apologize before heading out into the forest. Maybe, if things had gone smoothly, she would come back and they could fight together again.

But he hadn’t told Celine that.

It was her idea to come to the inn and spy on them. The ensign thought of clever ways all morning to disrupt that secretiveness, were that to happen, and speak to Rena. He should’ve known that Dias would be smarter and get the head start. And, because of that, Claude’s plan to apologize had gone up in flames. 

“Whatever.” He shrugged and turned away. “You just wanted to come here and see if they left first, right?” He hoped she wouldn’t hear the tremor in his voice, or spot the nervousness in his eyes.

Celine grumbled and moved around Claude. “Let’s go back to the elder. He said he would be waiting for us at the gates to the Heraldry Forest.”

Claude sensed something was off with Celine. Perhaps, she had come with the intention to apologize, too. Even if the sorceress wouldn’t admit it, Claude knew that Celine was upset that Rena left. He knew that he was. The urge to dash into the forest seemed to be no longer about saving the children or disbanding the bandits.

He wanted—no, _needed_ to find Rena.

Like Celine, it had turned into a race for him. He wasn’t going to lose to her childhood friend. Claude was his own person and his own man. He had his own strengths and faults. He very much intended to prove that to Rena. He couldn’t prove that to Jen when he had the chance, but this was a different time and a different world.

“Celine, I told you already that the safety of our children is our first priority,” the elder scolded. “This _isn’t_ a race. This much you should already know.”

Egras and Raveh stared at each other, shaking their heads with the ever-common “ _she’s_ _ **your**_ _daughter,”_ look. Isaac joined the elder and Celine’s parents at the gates. Much like the day before, he kept his traditional scowl and hid in the shadows closest to the trees.

“Celine,” Egras cut in. “Remember, this is important. I’d better not look up and see half of the forest on fire.”

Celine rolled her eyes. “Father, I’m not a child anymore. You should give me more credit. Besides…” she gently nudged her companion, “…I’ve got the help of this strong man here. Right, Claude?”

She seemed to be waiting for his reply, but didn’t get one. Her eyes whipped on him and he recognized her more than slightly irate stare, but couldn’t help it. His thoughts weren’t anywhere close to being on the conversation and tried to recall what she had been saying, but came up blank. She waved a hand in front of his face.

“Claaaaaaude…”

He jolted at the motion and stepped back. His eyes found Egras’ and then Raveh’s. Celine’s face held the most concern, and he forced a laugh and said, “Uh, yeah. That’s right.”

“Claude, you weren’t even listening.” Rubbing her temples, Celine added, “You’re still worked up about Rena, aren’t you?”

He said nothing, his face blank and transparent. Celine sighed and Egras crossed his arms and squeezed.

“You all are such children,” he said. “You should’ve worked together rather than split into two groups.”

Celine turned on her father, and snapped, “There is no way that I’m working with an ingrate like Dias.”

Egras turned to his wife, jerked a thumb in his daughter’s direction, and said, “See what I mean? Children.”

“Oooooh,” Celine scoffed. “Father, that’s so rude. And now we’re wasting time discussing pointless things when we could be in the forest, taking care of the problem before _them._ ”

“Celine, I’ll tell you one more time, this _isn’t_ a race.” The elder shook a finger at her, as though he were talking to a small child. And, maybe on some level, he was. “You should be concentrating your efforts on working _together_ with them. Sometimes, even an elder has to make difficult decisions for the good of the people. Remember that.” The elder turned and stooped to pick something from off the ground that Claude couldn’t quite see, not that he cared much at the moment. The elder shuffled toward them, a pair of boots in each hand. “You’ll need these boots to cross the bogs deep within the forest.”

“Thank you, Elder.” Celine’s smile seemed a little spurious, but Claude doubted that the elder caught on. His eyes drifted to the awning above them.

She took the boots, but the elder had to push the second pair into Claude’s chest in order to make him take notice.

“Huh?” Claude jumped back.

“The boots.” The elder pushed them into his chest again. “You’ll need these.”

“Oh.” Claude lackadaisically received them and mumbled, “Thank you.”

“Now, off you go,” Egras shooed. “Make me proud, Celine.”

She bowed, respectfully. “I will have good news when we return, Father.” Celine lightly touched Claude’s arm and walked away. Sluggishly, he followed the sorceress. The elder, Celine’s parents, and Isaac went back to the elder’s home, and Celine stopped walking. She whirled around and jabbed a finger into his chest, causing him to wince. 

“Look at you, Claude,” she scolded. “You’re a mess.”

He glanced down at her prodding finger, only inches from his chest.

“Uh…” was all that he could manage.

“There are circles under your eyes,” she continued. “And you’re not paying any attention to what’s going on. Do you honestly expect me to believe that Rena’s leaving hasn’t had any influence over you?”

Claude stiffened and his eyes shifted. Had it been that obvious?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he defended and stepped away from her pointed finger. “I’m just worried about the children.”

Her finger dropped and she sighed. “I wish that were the case, Claude. In a state like this, there’s no way that you’ll be able to concentrate in battle. You need to let this whole thing go. If she wants to come back, she’ll come back.”

He blew a loose strand of hair from his eyes, and tried his hardest to appear indifferent. He had never been good at lying, and his poker face sucked. Even when Jen broke his heart, she saw right through his façade. “You’ve got it all wrong. I don’t care if she comes back or not.”

“You’re such a liar. I can see you fidgeting.”

He scowled. “I am _not_ fidgeting.”

Celine’s mouth opened to say more, but a horse’s neigh belted out over her, accompanied by stamps across the street. Claude shot a glance toward the elder’s house, where he and the others stood, watching as a powerful horse trotted down the dirt path. The horse moved toward them, a dark haired man dressed in a white and blue coat with black pants and white boots on its back. A white cape fluttered behind him.

Claude squinted.

“I’m looking for two travelers.” The man on the horse leaned down toward the elder and said, “Have you seen them?”

Claude couldn’t see the elder’s face, but he stepped back, as though to observe the traveler in full regalia. The rider straightened his back, and Egras glanced between the two.

The elder said, “Are you not the son of the mayor from Salva? Bernard Tax, wasn’t it?”

Claude’s eyes widened. Salva? Bernard Tax? It had been well over a week since Claude heard either of those names, but it felt like longer.

“Yes,” the rider concurred. “Elder Abelard, it’s been too long. I almost did not recognize you. Pardon my rudeness, but I’m in quite the hurry. The travelers I’m looking for shouldn’t be hard to spot, since the male companion is wearing foreign garments and the other is a young girl with blue hair. She hails from Arlia. Have you seen them?”

“Oh, Claude,” Celine mused. “It sounds like he’s looking for you.”

The elder turned to Raveh and Egras.

Isaac’s angry voice could be heard loud and clear, “What, in Tria’s name, would an official’s son be doing in our village? Is there a _problem,_ sir?”

The rider seemed to ignore him and kept his attention fastened to the elder, whose eyes were on Egras. Claude took the opportunity to advance toward them, certain of the man’s identity. He hardly recognized Celine’s movement behind him.

“Alen?” Claude called to him, and the raven haired man reacted favorably.

“Ah, Mr. Kenni.” A smile broke at Alen’s face. “I’m so happy to have found you.” He adjusted his reins and the horse shifted so that he faced Claude fully. “You have no idea how long I’ve spent looking for you two. I asked the King of Cross, and he informed me that he had sent you along to Clik. However, when I arrived, the entire town had been completely destroyed.” At this, the elder and Celine’s parents reacted and turned to Celine, but her eyes remained on Alen. “Luckily, a captain lingered there, tending to the survivors, and he recognized your description, saying that you had been the only group of strange people with a burning desire to sail to El. He told me that he sent you along to Herlie, but that there was a good chance you stopped in Mars first.”

Alen appeared out of breath by the end of his explanation. A partial smile tugged at Claude’s lips. He had never expected to see Alen here of all places.

Claude nodded and said, “You did well in finding us, Alen.”

Alen seemed to no longer be paying attention. He frowned as his eyes moved behind Claude, who had a strange idea of what was going through his mind. After all, it wasn’t Rena behind him, but a scantily dressed sorceress.

After a moment he pointed and asked, “Who’s _she?_ ”

Claude flinched, and realized that things didn’t look well from the mayor’s son’s perspective. It appeared as though the ensign had abandoned Rena and picked up Celine instead.

Claude held up his hands, and defended, “You’ve got it all wrong, Alen. This is my _friend,_ Celine. There’s a major crisis happening in Mars right now and we’ve agreed to check it out.”

The frown disappeared from the mayor’s son’s face. He tilted his head and said, “I see. So Rena went on to scout ahead, huh?”

“I would’ve thought better manners of a mayor’s son, but I guess we all have our failings.” Celine jerked a thumb at the mayor’s son, a look of disgust on her own face and shock on his own. Claude hoped he had read it wrong, but he didn’t know Celine to take being frowned on too well. “You know him, then?” 

Claude forced a chuckle, which came with some difficulty, and hoped to dispel the tension from the situation. He said, “Yeah. This is Alen Tax, Rena’s childhood friend.”

“ _Another_ one?” she said, a little too loudly, and stared at Alen long enough to earn a cocked eye brow from him.

His gaze shifted to Claude. “Begging your pardon?”

With tiny hands on her hips, Celine said, “And Rena just decides to up and leave to travel with Dias.”

Claude expected the other man to be completely lost with the lack of information and insults being pelted his way. But, on the contrary, Alen appeared quite alert. 

“Dias?” he echoed. “Dias _Flac,_ you say?”

“What?” Celine blinked and asked, “You know him, too?”

The mayor’s son shrugged. “Well, of course. I used to live in Arlia, you know. Dias, his sister Cecille, Rena, and I were very close. We’d all play until the sun went down. What in Tria would motivate her to just up and leave with him? Where are they now?”

“In the forest,” Claude mumbled, the current task at hand coming back to his mind. “Look, Celine and I were just on our way in there to finish some business. Would you mind waiting here for a bit? We’ll hear what you have to say when we come back.”

Alen appeared taken aback. “Stay here?” 

He unexpectedly jumped off his horse and shoved the reins into Isaac’s chest, who, in turn, cried out, “I am _no_ servant!” 

Alen patted the sheathed blade at his side, “I’m going with you, Mr. Kenni. I haven’t seen Dias in many years. Also, I’m curious to know how the events led up to the situation as of now. It seems that a lot has happened in the last couple of weeks.”

Claude found himself more than surprised. Rena, though she cared for Alen deeply, had mentioned that he could be quite the coward when it came to battle and frightened easily. But Alen’s mind appeared set, it seemed, determination lighting up his eyes. Claude didn’t want to be the one to refuse him.

“Well this is turning into quite the scenario.” Celine’s eyes vacillated between both men. “Isn’t Rena in for a shock?”

Upon that remark, Claude’s face fell, remembering her allegiance to Dias.

Alen smiled and nodded. “I’m…excited, really.” Then, before forgetting, he turned to Isaac and said, “Excuse me, stable boy? Please take care of my horse until I return.”

Isaac gripped the reins in his hands until Claude was certain he heard his knuckles crack. “ _Stable boy?_ ”

“Of course, Alen.” The elder’s smile was warm, and he patted the horse’s side. Alen thanked him and turned back to the others.

“All right,” Celine clapped her hands together. “It’s time to get moving. We’ll have to hurry if we want to beat Rena and Dias.”

“I don’t need you to remind me.” Claude shoved his hands into his pockets, tone hardening.

From the look on Alen’s face, Claude felt certain that the mayor’s son had sensed the tension. 

“Please,” Alen said, “will you inform me of what is going on while we are walking? I’m a bit lost here.”

Celine chuckled, her snaky grin seeming to make Alen uncomfortable. Claude rolled his eyes and turned away.

\/\/\/

Dias swiveled in a half circle and swept his sword across the underbelly of the bandit before him. Blood gurgled from his mouth before he fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Rena’s fingers twitched and watched the battle end in mere seconds.

Although she had expected some kind of ambush during their travels, this was happening far too quickly.

But…Dias…

He pushed her out of the way and told her to stay back while swinging his sword. Just as she predicted, he was a beast on the battlefield and none of the bandits could stand against him. He reminded her of a statue, and what it would be like were one ever to come to life. He showed no trace of fear, no ghost of remorse. He cut down human beings like he would chopping wood, and moved from one body to the next. The man before her could not be the same man who had once made her a tiara of daisies or offered her candy on the day she had found out that her father died. This man had given her a bracelet that he had probably bought himself at the accessory store, but could slay her the same way he did his adversaries. He could cut her in half, face as dead as it was now, and still have time to wipe his blade clean in between. Her heart pulsated under her fingertips and she tried to quiet her breath, but it was impossible.

For all that had happened to him in the past, she wondered if _this—_ this now—was what he had wanted to achieve so badly that he had to leave Arlia. Was he happy with this result? She found herself too scared to know the answer.

The last bandit staggered to his feet, body swaying. His grip on his sword wobbled, but he managed to sputter, “You piece of shit.”

“Save it.” Dias shifted his body and used a single hand to shove his blade through the bandit’s throat. Blood sprayed from the wound and down his open mouth, causing Rena to flinch. She stifled her gasp, but still felt as though Dias had heard.

She didn’t know if she could forget the look of terror on the bandit’s face, and squeezed her eyes shut as he slumped to the ground. Dias remained where he was, staring at the pile of collapsed bandits. None moved, and he seemed satisfied as he reached into his pocket, withdrew a long rag, and pulled it along the steel of his blade. Blood soaked the rag, but he continued to erase any trace of blood. He appeared so calm, as though he were only wiping away water. She didn’t know how he could be so calm. She had never seen Claude take a life like that before.

Rena exhaled, her knees knocking together. She didn’t know what scared her more: the bandits or Dias. But it was too late to return to Mars, now. Claude and Celine wouldn’t take her back, not after yesterday. And she didn’t want Dias to see her fear, though she felt that he already knew.

She didn’t want to admit that she regretted coming.

Rena’s hands crept up behind her crescent pendant and fingered the leaf pendant around her neck.

 _At least this pendant is still on my side,_ she thought to herself.

Then she chastised the comfort. It was an inanimate object. It didn’t care who it belonged to. The real person she should’ve concerned herself was the man who gave it to her.

Her lips twisted.

Claude would never forgive her.

Her eyes fell to the bracelet decorating her wrist. It stood out in large stones and elaborate silver. 

“You all right?” Dias looked sideways at her, and put the rag away. “You’re pale.”

Shaking her thoughts off, she offered him a pasty smile and released the leaf pendant. “I-I’m fine. Just a little startled is all.”

He looked to the road. “That’s why you’ve got to be more prepared for these situations. We’re not going to be able to escape all the grunts here in the forest.”

Despite his words, it hadn’t appeared as though escaping bandits was Dias’ prerogative. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve guessed that her old childhood friend’s intentions involved headhunting them. Still, she said, “I…I know.”

“Something else on your mind?”

Rena stiffened and her eyes shifted away from him. She didn’t want to tell him the truth—that seeing him behave in such a way in battle scared her far more than the forest and what lurked within it. She hoped that her friends were safe, despite the situation between them. She tried to keep her attention away from the dead bodies, though she knew none of them could hurt her. 

She cleared her throat and said, “I…I was just wondering if Claude and Celine were all right.”

Dias sheathed his blade and walked the length of the trail. “Why should we care about them? If he’s the Warrior, like you say, then worrying comes as a waste of energy.”

Rena’s face fell.

They probably weren’t even concerned about her. After all, how could they forgive someone who had run away from them? No matter her reasoning, no matter how innocent it seemed, they would never forgive her.

“Y-You’re right,” but the smile accompanying her words trembled and felt painful against her face. She hoped Dias wouldn’t notice. “Claude’s the Warrior. He’ll be fine.”

Dias stopped walking, but kept his attention on the road in front of him. Although he kept his back to her, she could almost figure what he was thinking. Rena padded up to him.

“You really have a lot of confidence in him,” he said.

“Well, of course. I’ve seen him fight first hand.” Rena slowly moved on ahead, the thought bringing warm memories back to her face.

No matter what Claude said, Rena would always believe differently. And she wouldn’t stop believing it, even if he _did_ hate her.

She didn’t hear Dias move for a while, but she kept going, stepping over a tree root in the road. A brush skimmed the edge of her skirt and she glanced over her shoulder.

Dias stared at her, a certain look in his eyes that she couldn’t quite explain—or knew how to.

After all, once upon a time, Dias had believed in the Warrior, too.

“Let’s go,” he said after a moment and joined her side on the road.

Rena fell in step with him, and turned a corner before descending a small hill. Dias ducked a low tree branch in the road and she followed suit. They spent most of the walk in silence and she wondered if it was because Dias wanted to get the preemptive strike on the bandits or if he really had nothing to talk about.

Or maybe his thoughts lingered on Claude being the Warrior.

A twig broke under her foot and she inhaled. Dias glanced back at her, appearing slightly alarmed.

“Hey…it’s _you_ guys.”

Rena’s attention diverted from the twig. Up ahead on the road stood another wave of bandits, all unsheathing their swords. Dias mirrored the action and held his blade securely in front of him.

“Why don’t you just give up?” he said. “You’re just going to lose anyway.”

The face of one of the bandits darkened. He squeezed the hilt of his blade and retorted, “We’ll see about that, you bastard. We saw what you did to our men.”

One bandit charged them, sword swinging. Dias sidestepped and caught the man in the back with his blade. The other two broke past Dias and continued toward Rena, who had been caught off-guard by the attack. Swallowing her terror, she dodged the first strike, and retaliated with a punch to the man’s stomach.

He doubled over, but the third bandit elbowed her in the side. Tripping over herself, Rena hit the ground and immediately shot a look heavenward. The bandit who had attacked her shadowed her view, a sneer on his face. He raised his sword and aimed it over her chest.

She rolled away just as the sword smashed into the ground, and she could feel the air from the blade swipe against the back of her neck. Someone lunged over her and a heavy stomp hit her ears before the sound of clashing blades replaced it. Crawling to her feet, she watched Dias bob and weave in between the bandits’ attacks and slice his blade through the one who was slowest.

Watching his comrade collapse, the remaining bandit stepped back and gripped his sword. He clenched his teeth, and kept his eyes on Dias. Rena spotted a bead of sweat trail down his cheek. Dias remained in his fighting stance, his statue face unreadable.

She waited there, breathing heavily, and wondered who would move first. She didn’t have to ponder long as the bandit screamed and swung his sword above his head. Quick to respond, Dias made a slight jerk forward, and his sword pierced the other’s abdomen.

The bandit’s hand trembled and the blade toppled from his fingers. It clanked against the ground two or three times before coming to rest. Not waiting for the man to die, Dias placed one foot against the bandit’s side and applied pressure to his body. The sword slid out of the wound and the bandit toppled into a bush off the road. He sobbed and wailed, and a gurgle made Rena uncomfortable, but she said nothing. She wished Dias would at least give him a merciful death, but he produced his bloody rag and proceeded to wipe his blade.

He didn’t bother to look at Rena as he said, “You need to pay more attention. Hesitation will only get you killed.”

She couldn’t even thank Dias, her eyes burning into the bandit’s. It reminded her of the gathered faces in Clik, screaming and begging to live. She had been trying to forget about them since the day of Clik’s fall, and seeing the dying man before her made her realize that she had done so with little success.

She tried to ignore the bandit’s suffering. She tried to ignore the temptation to seize Dias’ blade and finish him off herself. She wanted to escape from there and move on, or go home. She wondered if Claude and Celine were all right, and feared for their safety, despite her belief in Claude’s abilities. The very thought of something happening to him before she could speak to him again bothered her terribly.

Dias turned the blade in his hand and studied it before sheathing it and placed the rag into his pocket. “I sense the end of this,” he told her. “Let’s keep moving.”

He turned and continued down the road. Rena began to follow, but stopped to offer the bandit one last look. Tears streamed down his blood and dirt-stained face and he stared back. His hand pushed against the wound in his stomach, blood spurting through his fingers.

He struggled, but managed in a hoarse, tearful whisper, “Please…kill me.”

Heat hit her face and her eyes welled up as she searched her body for something to carry out the act. If she healed him, Dias would never forgive her, especially after the incident. But she had nothing on hand.

It was unlike her to ignore the wounded. Even in Clik, she had moved quickly from person to person, terrified that if she wasted even one precious second, someone would die who could’ve been saved. And now, she had to force herself to let someone die.

“Rena.” Her eyes whirled on Dias, who shook his head. “Leave him. He’s not long for this world.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but he went away. At a loss in her choice, she glanced at the bandit one last time.

“Please,” he whimpered.

She damned herself, and ran to catch up with Dias.

\/\/\/

“I see…” Alen fell into step beside Celine, who had spent the last several minutes of their wandering explaining the situation. “I’m very surprised that Rena would just up and leave you for Dias, Mr. Kenni. I mean, I know that they’re childhood friends and all…”

Celine adjusted the strap of her small travel pack on her shoulder. “I know, right? I mean, it was all so unexpected…”

Claude wasn’t speaking to either of them, and it wasn’t because they had done anything wrong. He took the lead, staring all around him, yet taking in nothing. A bandit could’ve been directly in front of him, waving and dancing, and Claude doubted he would’ve noticed. He wasn’t interested in hearing Alen’s excuses regarding Rena’s actions. He just wanted to find the children and continue to Herlie.

But then that posed another question.

After all was said and done, what would become of him and Rena? He feared that she would abandon him and travel with Dias. Perhaps…Perhaps that had been her true intent all along. Maybe it hadn’t been just her mother she wanted to find. Now that she found Dias, she would leave Claude’s side and travel with him.

Perhaps he shouldn’t have considered it such a big deal. He wasn’t long for this world, anyway, and, Dias would be able to protect her, unlike him. And she’d be happy. He would continue his search to El Continent—Celine would probably stay with him. He would find the Sorcery Globe and then a way to get back home. That had been really what he wanted all along.

Then he’d be back with his father, who was already furious with him for being so reckless. There wouldn’t be any more confusion regarding his status as the so-called ‘Warrior of Light.’ He’d be back to Claude C. Kenni, the Admiral’s son, ex-ensign, hated by Jen Parker, and loser. He’d have to repeat his semester all over without his friends, as they would’ve already gone off to college to pursue more tangible careers.

Didn’t that sound…fantastic?

“Who the hell are you? You bring us the money?”

Claude’s eyes trailed sideways to a group of bandits in the road, all swords unsheathed.

“Oh.” Alen’s hand slowly crept to his sword. “We tell them ‘no,’ right?”

Celine held her gaze on the bandits and asked, “Where are the children?”

A buzz of chuckles sounded from within the circle of bandits. One from the far back shook his head and said, “We don’t need to tell you anything. Unless you bring us our goods, you won’t be seeing those kids anytime soon.”

Claude allowed his bad mood to spread to those who were intent on pissing him off more than he already was. Drawing his sword, he swung at the man and stabbed him in the side without registering his actions. The bandit grunted and crumpled over the blade. Claude kicked him in the face, and prepared himself for his next move.

He swiveled and smashed the hilt of the sword into the side of the bandit’s face, and turned just in time to evade a counter swing from the bandit. He paused and regained his balance as the bandit advanced toward him.

“Mr. Kenni, don’t move.” Alen waddled closer and lifted his sword above his head. 

The bandit looked up just as the blade crashed down into the crook of his neck and shoulder. He screamed and grabbed the blade, his attempt to remove it futile and only produced more blood.

“Move, Alen,” Claude commanded and waited until the mayor’s son ducked. The ensign pulled his sword back and swung like a baseball bat. The decapitated head spiraled off the road and plopped into a set of bushes. What was left of the bandit toppled off the road, his twitching legs lifted into the air. Alen’s sword stuck out of him like a flagpole.

The ensign halted for a moment, breathing heavily, and tried to make sense of what he had just done. He had never beheaded anyone before, not even in the Federation. The feeling shook his nerves, but he was also exhausted from the sudden rage. On one hand, he hadn’t moved like that since his last game, when he had hit a home run into the stadium. His shoulders slumped under the weight of the sword and he gazed down at the either unconscious or dead bandits in the road. He did his best to keep his eyes from the decapitated bandit, and tried to forget that it had ever happened.

Alen’s eyes were on the sword in the dead man’s neck. He appeared to be having an inner dilemma about retrieving it. Claude swallowed his disturbance and did it for him. He handed the sword back, blood dripping down the steel, and splashed onto the trail. He tried not to think too hard on Alen’s face, the shock it beheld, and the thoughts that were probably going through his mind.

“My, my,” came Celine’s words and Claude looked at her. A smile wobbled on her lips, though her face was undeniably pale. She stared at the headless bandit, though she seemed to be trying to avert her gaze. “I should tell Rena to make you angry more often.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Claude wiped a bead of sweat from under his red headband.

Despite his words, he already knew. Alen had most likely never seen a dead body before and, in lieu of Celine’s worldly knowledge, Claude was willing to bet that she hadn’t either. Laughter appeared to be her defense mechanism to suppress her fear, though she couldn’t keep herself together between the chuckling and her shaking body.

Even Alen appeared shaken, though seemed to try and hide it. He coughed into his hand and stared at his dripping blade, scarlet glistening in the light above. 

After a moment, he stood straight and resumed his formal disposition, though his words were shaky as he said, “I can’t believe your movements—Your skill, Mr. Kenni.”

“ _You took a life,”_ was what Claude figured the other wanted to say, but used glossy words and pretty compliments to cover it up. Even though it had been a killed-or-be-killed scenario, the longer Claude replayed the battle in his head, the worse he felt. He sighed and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. It didn’t serve as the best cleaning rag, but Claude had taken it from Elder Abelard’s linens, and reminded himself to buy one the next time he went shopping. He gave the blade a once-through cleaning before passing it off to Alen, who continued to stare at his bloody blade.

“Here,” Claude said, and bounced it in Alen’s face when the other was too slow to take it.

“O-Oh.” Alen’s twitching fingers took the clean corner of the rag, and delicately ran it across the blade. “T-That is to say, Mr. Kenni. I now know what Rena sees in you.”

“She doesn’t see anything in me,” Claude retorted, clenching the hilt of his blade until his knuckles turned white. “It’s all about Dias now.”

Alen’s mouth snapped shut and Celine turned away. Claude swallowed, a bit surprised with himself for his quick anger, and marched down the road before another word could be uttered.

In a low voice, Alen said, “He’s very upset that Rena left, isn’t he?”

Celine responded in less than whispered tones, “He thinks that she’s abandoned him for Dias. I suppose I can see his point.”

“Stop whispering back there,” Claude called over his shoulder.

He wasn’t upset at all.

He just wanted to save the children.

He had decapitated someone.

The ensign closed his eyes and shuddered the realization from his body.

He had never thought himself capable of taking a human life. Even during Federation Training, killing someone else never crossed his mind. What would his father say? Surely, Ronixis J. Kenni had taken a life or two during the war. Even Claude’s mother had probably stabbed a man. Neither of those thoughts came as a comfort to Claude. He felt himself shaking, the sheath containing the blade that had killed a man tapping against his leg.

He wouldn’t cry. He told himself to just keep going.

Alen and Celine made small talk about the Heraldry Forest and Alen’s purpose for coming to Salva, but the mayor’s son admitted that he wanted to honor Claude’s wishes and wait until they were out of the forest to discuss anything else. For the time being, Alen appeared more interested in the book found in the Cross Cave.

“I was under the assumption that that cave had been explored,” Alen said. “You’re saying that you found that book in there?”

Celine’s spirits appeared to be lifting again as her enthused voice concurred. “I can’t read a single word of it, though. I thought that, perhaps, my parents could read it—they sit on Abelard’s Heraldic Council, after all, but they just looked at each other with strange expressions. Then, I showed it to Abelard last night, but not even he could read it.”

“Truly?” Alen asked. “Not even a great Heraldic Arts user like him?”

“That’s right.” Celine sighed. “He did believe that the book was a big collection of prophecies, but of what, he didn’t say.”

“Prophecies…” Alen pulled the syllables through his lips. “Well, perhaps the book can shed some light on the Sorcery Globe.”

“Wouldn’t that be fantastic?” she trailed off into a sigh. “It sure would make life simpler. And if I knew what was written in there, I’d have a better idea of who would want to buy the book.”

“What about that other grand sorcerer? I’ve forgotten his name, it seems, but I met him during my last travel to Mars, although that was roughly eight years ago.”

A lull in the conversation caused Claude to glance back; Celine’s eyes were downcast, but her, “You must mean Hadrian,” rang loud and true.

Alen snapped his fingers in recollection and he nodded. “Yes, the one and the same. Hadrian the Gale—my goodness it’s unlike me to have a temporary slip-up, especially in regards to his stature. The fastest spellcaster in the world, although I haven’t heard much about him as of late. He was last teaching the children of Mars, was he not? One of the girls was to become the next elder after Abelard passes on, I believe, although I’ve forgotten her name, too. I only met her once as a child, but I’d very much like to meet her again. Anyhow, why not have him translate the book?”

Celine moved away from him and fumbled with the latch on her pouch, although she did not remove anything from inside.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but he’s no longer a citizen of Mars. He must’ve left shortly after your last visit here.”

Alen blanched, clearly not anticipating such a response. “Is that right? I’m sorry to hear of such things. I hope something terrible did not happen to him; he’s truly an inspiration to men everywhere. My father once spoke of him being one of the last to know the skills of the Karyx and—”

Celine whirled to face him and said, “If you’re so interested in knowing what happened to him, you should ask Abelard. Hadrian was one of his apprentices, after all.”

Alen snapped his mouth shut, and Claude decided to continue on, feigning ignorance of the conversational subject. He trudged on, stomping over rocks and occasionally swung his blade to cut down innocent bushes that offended him along the way.

“You…” came a voice to his right. “You’re the guys causing trouble for us.”

Three bandits closed in around him and Claude readied his blade. Alen stepped in beside him, his own weapon drawn.

“I think it’s the other way around,” Celine smiled and dropped the travel pack from her shoulder. She closed her eyes and raised her fingertips toward the sky, mumbling a string of words Claude couldn’t quite catch.

He glanced over his shoulder at her, a slight hunch of what was about to take place. A stream of fire spiraled past him and he ducked while pushing Alen off of the trail. The blaze swept through the bandit as the others tumbled away from the inferno. The bandit’s piercing scream caused Claude to flinch, and the ensign looked up long enough to witness the fire envelop his form. The sword dropped from the bandit’s hand, and he ran circles around the others. Embers trailed after his bright orange and red form, reminding Claude of a monster boss battle from one of the old games he played on earth. 

The fear on his companions’ faces could not be mistaken, and they dodged his reach as he sought them in agonized wails. After a moment, the flame bandit collapsed in the middle of the road, the fire devouring the rest of his body like a blazing campfire. Claude swallowed, but did not turn to face Celine. Apparently, she, too, was capable of taking a life. The ensign did not wait for the flames to extinguish before lunging into the heat of battle. He slammed his blade down against a bandit’s.

Alen moved in from behind, and Claude caught the other’s struggle to engage another bandit. But Claude’s attention diverted when his opponent dropped to the ground and swept his leg behind his ankles. Claude’s head found the ground long before he could register what had happened, and his world spun with bright colors and distorted sounds. His head pulsated, and he vaguely realized that he was no longer holding his sword.

“ _Firebolt!_ ”

He thought he heard Celine. A stream of fire passed over him, singeing his hair and cheeks. The heat stung, but he focused his attention on the bandit above him. He disappeared within the flames, screaming and toppling away. Claude grunted and rocked himself to a sitting position. From above, the bandit cloaked in fire jumped around in fits of screams before collapsing to the ground. He rolled back and forth, small plants and twigs going up in flames as he passed over them. The bandit’s screams died long before he stopped moving. Claude turned to the remaining bandit, who intertwined blades with Alen, and rushed him from behind.

Rearing his sword to the sky, Claude cut the bandit where he stood, startling Alen in the process. Blood poured from the bandit’s head and face, and he toppled forward into Alen’s arms. Appearing quite uncomfortable, the mayor’s son pushed the body away, and rubbed his arms and chest. His white cloak and tunic were stained with blood, nonetheless, and the dead bandit collapsed to the ground.

“Is everyone all right?” Celine asked and glanced from Alen to Claude. “That was quite a nasty spill you took,” she told the ensign.

He nodded, and struggled to regain his breath. After a moment, he managed, “Yeah, thanks for the spell. You saved my skin.”

Celine exhaled and it transitioned into a chuckle. Alen observed his side, hissing all the while. The sorceress must’ve caught sight of this because she peered closer and asked, “You all right?”

His lips twisted into a frown. “That bandit nicked me, but it’ll be all right. I’m more concerned about the blood all over my clothes.”

Celine shook her head and picked up her travel bag. “Sorry about your clothes. That happens when you travel on the road. We might be able to wash the blood out, but I’m sure you can find something else to wear if we can’t.”

Alen’s attention fixed on her, and his frown deepened. “I’ll have you know that I don’t often travel like this. And it’s just that this blood is so vulgar. It’s ghastly, really.”

She rolled her eyes and fished around inside the bag. “Whatever. Just come over here so that I can apply some medicine to your wound.” 

His frown faded into confusion, but he obediently stepped closer. Celine rummaged around a bit longer in the bag before withdrawing a vial of healing salve. She gestured for him to sit on a large rock a short distance from the road, and he did.

“Thank you,” he mumbled.

Celine knelt down to examine the wound at his side and asked to no one in particular, “I wonder, were those bandits talking about Rena and Dias, you think? You know, when they said that someone was giving them trouble?”

Alen cringed as she rubbed the salve over the wound, but gave a weak nod. “I…believe so. From my understanding, Dias is the kind of man who likes to cause chaos wherever he goes.”

“Is that right?” Celine chuckled. “Well, I suppose you would know if you all grew up together.”

“No, it’s not like that,” Alen said. “Dias used to be very kind and sensitive. His family worked as farmers on the outskirts of Arlia, but his father often traveled into the village and took Dias with him. They’d also sell their produce in Salva and Cross Kingdom as well. Dias is one of the most cultured people that I know. What I have told you of his current state arrived in the form of various rumors to my ears. To hear this of him, now, both pains and shocks me.”

Celine scoffed, but only said, “Must’ve been nice to have known him back then.”

“Indeed,” Alen said. “I wish you could’ve.”

Celine added, “If he had such a nice family, why did he leave them behind and become the jerk he is today?”

Alen’s smile wobbled. “I’m afraid I don’t have the answer to that question. I moved from Arlia long before he left home.”

Claude gave his attention to an uninteresting tree in the foreground. When that didn’t satisfy him, he walked over to the dying flame piles that used to be the bandits. He kicked dirt on each of them, as well as the twigs and plants to help kill the fire, then cleaned his blade with his rag.

“Hmm…” Celine finished applying the salve and reached for the bandages. “Well, either way, they probably aren’t that far ahead of us. It shouldn’t be long before we catch up to them.”

“Are you worried about them?” Alen asked. Celine stood and pointed to Claude with a smile. Alen turned to the other man. “Are you worried about them, Mr. Kenni?”

“You _kidding_ me?” Claude snapped the rag, pocketed it, and sheathed his sword. He turned away and continued his trek into the forest.

“Looks like you hit the nail right on the head,” Celine whispered, and did not stifle her laugh.

Alen’s eyes vacillated between her and Claude, apparently not quite sure what was going on.


	13. A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the divided groups trudge deeper into the Heraldry Forest, Rena and Claude remain conflicted about the looming circumstances, and, unbeknownst to the other, each other. The bandits continue to attack in droves, the whereabouts of the kidnapped children still a mystery. Just as it seems that Claude, Celine, and Alen reach a breakthrough, they are approached by Isaac, whom has grave news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay in uploading this chapter. It's been ready for a while, but I just haven't had the energy to put it up. The next chapter is almost ready, so I'll try to keep the delay to a minimum, haha. Thank you all, as always, for reading!

**\/\/\/**

**An Ocean of Mirrors**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing**

**\/\/\/**

Dias plunged his sword into the last of the bandits, and twisted the blade until blood sputtered from the man’s chest. He turned to Rena, whose knees buckled as her breath halted in her throat like a blockade. She caught sight of a tear in his sleeve, stained with red, but he seemed to pay it no mind. He kicked the bandit’s body to the side and cleaned his blade.

“Oh, Dias,” she choked out, and staggered to her feet. “I need to heal you.”

“Save your strength.” He gestured to his condition and hers, which Rena understood as his silent way of explaining that he was faring far better than she. “Their leader should be making an appearance soon.”

No longer able to pretend that she was all right, Rena fell onto her bottom and sat in the middle of the road. She tried to ignore the bodies around her, the smell of blood, and the last moments of the battle. Her quaking hands slapped her cheeks and roughly rubbed the dirt and sweat away. She wasn’t a fighter, and knew that Dias had been aware of it long before. She tried to appear strong and intimidating but weak kicks and punches were only weak kicks and punches. More than that, she lacked Dias’ fondness for battle.

He pushed something toward her face. “Drink some water.”

She stared down at the canteen before her eyes moved to him, who knelt before her. Though the action was generous, she recognized the flicker of annoyance in his twitching lips. She knew that she was holding him back, but accepted the water and sucked the canteen dry. Only after she handed the canteen back did the guilt hit her.

He stared at his empty canteen with unreadable eyes before strapping it to his belt.

“I wonder if Claude and Celine are all right…” she blurted once she found that she could speak without gasping.

“They’re all you’ve been talking about since we came here.” Dias stood and adjusted the belt that held his sheath. “If you’re _that_ worried about them, why don’t you go and join them?”

She snapped her mouth shut, flustered. “That…” she sighed, knowing that no matter what excuse she offered, he wouldn’t believe her. “That’s not it. I don’t care what they do. It’s not any of my business.”

He didn’t seem to mind the small chuckle that escaped his lips. Rena bowed her head, knowing that he knew the truth.

She couldn’t keep her thoughts concentrated on the battles. Although she was right where she wanted to be, by Dias’ side, she didn’t want to lose her friends. The thought of them hating her for leaving them behind made her uncomfortable.

She had agreed to help Claude find the Sorcery Globe. Would that change after this was all over? Maybe he wouldn’t want her help and send her home to Arlia. She could certainly see that happening. What if she went with Dias?

Rena craned her head up at him. He was focused on something inside of his pouch. 

No, he would never let her come with him. He had become a loner and appeared to want to keep it that way. After a while of traveling together, she’d weigh him down and he wouldn’t be afraid to tell her so. She cared very much about him and knew that he cared for her, too, but he wouldn’t keep her around as dead weight.

Even if she _was_ his “little sister.”

And if she went back to Arlia, tail between her legs, what would her mother say? Mayor Regis would ask what had become of the Warrior. How could she explain that he’d banished her and sent her home? Rena’s fingers clenched the ends of her skirt in frustration.

“You coming or not?” Dias asked.

She stared up at him, dread washing over her at the conclusion of the mission. As soon as it was over, she’d be going home, like it or not.

“Y-Yeah.” She picked herself up from the ground, amazed that she still had the strength to stand.

She could feel Dias’ eyes on her, and opened her mouth to ask if he had a problem. A nearby shrill cut her off, and she whipped her head in its direction. A small child in a pink cloak pushed her way through a bush. Twigs and leaves hung from her shoulders and arms, and small tears in her clothes made Rena wonder if the child hadn’t been hiding for quite some time. The child’s eyes found Rena’s, lips quivering, and appeared as though she were about to flee. She turned on her heel, but her skirt became ensnared in the bush, and she fell.

“Oh.” Rena rushed to her side. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?” She helped the child to stand and asked, “You’re from Mars, aren’t you?”

The child sniffled, dirt stains on her cheeks. Dried tears mingled within the brown splotches and her eyes were red and swollen. The girl kept her attention to the ground, fingers interlocked across her belly.

“Can you tell us where the other children are?” Rena gingerly took the child by the shoulders.

“There’s that stupid kid,” came an unfamiliar voice.

Rena’s ears twitched in alert. A tall, lanky bandit hurdled himself over the same bush the child had come through, arms outstretched and hands grabby.

“We’ve got company,” Dias said and moved in front of Rena, sword at the ready.

Rena pulled the child against her, squeezing tightly. The bandit stumbled to a halt just before his nose met the end of Dias’ blade.

“What…?” The bandit’s eyes squinted. “Hey, now…”

“I’m sick of dealing with grunts like you.” Dias swung his blade, the sound of cutting air sharp and crisp.

The bandit jumped away from the oncoming blade, hands fumbling with the hilt on his side. Rena kept the child’s face in the crook of her shoulder and neck, mesmerized by the escalating fight. Dias never lost the offensive, and never seemed to expend much effort. He kicked the bandit to the ground, whose hands were still on his hilt, and towered above him. Without pause, Dias’ blade slammed down and neatly severed the man’s arm from his body.

Rena’s mouth twitched.

A long time ago, Dias never would have been able to pick up a sword. He didn’t know anything about swordplay. He could hardly manage a pitchfork to shovel hay with his father. The Dias of now appeared as a monster on the battlefield—the tormentor of the wicked.

Rena couldn’t stop watching, even as the arm bounced away, and the man screamed, and blood pooled underneath him, she couldn’t turn away. Dias’ eyes held no viable emotion. It was almost as though he were waiting for the man to die so that they could move on.

A small gasp choked out from Rena’s throat. She wondered if this was what Dias had aspired to be. Ever since he lost them. Ever since he lost Cecille.

The bandit cried and begged for pardon. He swore that he would leave and never return.

“Please,” he wailed, in a way that she had never heard a grown man before. It reminded her of the bandit they had left to die and she cringed. “Please, spare my life.”

Rena knew that Dias had begged for their lives, too.

The sword slid nicely into the bandit’s neck, and Dias twisted until the man stopped gurgling. Blood spurted every which way, and Dias did not flinch when some hit his hand.

Only then did Rena look away, reminding herself that the bandit wasn’t a good guy. She assured herself that if Dias had not killed him, he would’ve killed her and the child. He deserved to die.

So why did that sound so bad?

“Get up,” she heard after a moment.

Rena drew in a breath, recognizing Dias’ voice. Of course it was Dias’ voice. She hadn’t expected the bandit to survive. Her heart throbbed, remembering how the bandit had pleaded for his life. Remembering how the other had begged to die. She wished that it would all end.

The child in her arms pulled away, eyes immediately trailing to the dead, crippled bandit. She stared until her body quaked. Rena pushed herself to her feet.

“Where are the other children?” Dias asked the child, calm and collected. Blood dripped from the end of his sword.

“Are…are you going to rescue them?” The child’s meek and quiet voice made Rena feel horrible, as though she were the one holding the bloody sword. 

The girl most likely believed that she would be killed next.

“Of course,” Rena cut in and stepped in front of Dias. “We’re here to save everyone.” 

She forced a large smile and knelt down.

The child returned the smile, and offered a small sigh. “Really? I’m so happy. We’ve all been really scared and thought no one was looking for us. I only managed to escape because my friend made a large distraction and I ran away, hoping to find someone from the village.”

“Relax.” Both girls faced Dias, who cleaned his blade. “It’s just our job.”

The child snapped her mouth shut and looked at the ground. “Yeah, but…thanks.” Looking back to Rena, she said, “I’m Cecille.”

As soon as the name left the child’s lips, Rena felt her body tense. She glanced at Dias, who paused in mid-cleaning, though his eyes remained on the rag.

Rena looked back at the child. “Is your name _really_ ‘Cecille?’”

“Don’t worry about it,” Dias interrupted, and resumed wiping his blade. “Only the name is the same. She doesn’t look anything like my sister.”

Rena admired his composure, but felt her thoughts confirmed at his reaction to the child’s name. He had allowed himself to think the same thing she had, even if only for a moment.

Cecille exchanged confused glances between the two. “What’s the matter? Come on, I’ll take you to where my friends are.” She motioned for them to follow before turning to flee.

Dias was slow to start moving, but it took Rena even longer. Her childhood friend’s anguish never seemed to have dissipated, even after all this time. She hadn’t expected it to vanish, but, from the look in his eyes, the pain appeared more alive than ever, and it made her feel helpless. When her father died, it was Dias who followed her into the Shingo Forest, and Dias who made her a tiara of daisies and shared with her his candy. It was Dias who opened his family to her, so that she would never be truly alone. And Dias had been the only one, at that point, who knew about her strange healing power and hadn’t been _frightened_ of it. Alen, her parents, and Mayor Regis all had shared the same uneasiness in their eyes, even if they said they understood and still loved her anyway.

It had always been Dias.

But when it seemed that he needed someone the most, she couldn’t find a way to reciprocate his kindness.

And for that, she cursed her weakness.

\/\/\/

“Mr. Kenni,” Alen managed in between breaths, “do you think that you could possibly…not walk so fast?” 

The mayor’s son sputtered and coughed as he descended the hill, and Celine complained that her ankles ached.

Claude shrugged and gestured to the sorceress as he said, “You’re the one who said that this was a race.”

“You took the fun out of it,” she retorted. “This whole thing with Rena has you crawling up a wall.”

Claude grunted and turned away. “No, it doesn’t.”

“Rena certainly _is_ like that.” Alen rubbed the back of his neck and stared into his gloved palm. Then he wiped it on his blood-stained cape. “She has broken many hearts. I’m sure you remember what happened with me an—”

“What makes you think that that has anything to do with it?” Claude gripped the hilt of his blade and cast his attention down the road. “Rena’s the one who left to join Dias. I just think that it was kind of a stab in the back. Last time I checked, I thought that _we_ were friends, too.”

Celine sighed and shook her head. Alen appeared to be thinking of something to say, but never articulated what it was.     

“Well, well…It’s pretty fortunate that we found the troublemakers on the road, fellows. Boss said to gut them alive. I’ve been practicing for this.”

Claude pivoted where he stood. Three bandits closed in from behind, all with swords drawn.

Celine crossed her arms, brows knitted together. “We haven’t been stirring the pot _that_ much.”

“Ha.” The bandit rotated the sword in his hand. “Must be your friends. Boss says they got exactly what they deserved. They’re hanging by their entrails from some tree.”

“What?” escaped Alen’s lips. “That’s a lie. I know it is.”

Claude’s fingers curled tightly around his hilt.

Friends.

Friends weren’t supposed to stab each other in the back.

“We don’t _have_ any friends.” Claude pushed his companions aside, and swung his blade at the last bandit to speak.

He deflected Claude’s strike and deterred the blade downward. Claude grit his teeth and struggled to disengage his weapon from the bandit’s. It slid free, and the ensign shoved the sword under the bandit’s chin. The bandit’s eyes rolled back, dark blood spilling from his neck and mouth. Alen moved next to Claude, sword raised.

“Mr. Kenni, you shouldn’t rush into battle so carelessly.” Alen turned to the next bandit and charged.

Claude pressed his foot against the dead bandit’s chest and drew his blade. He refrained from spewing a retort at Alen that he would later regret; the battle at hand proved to be more important.

Celine’s incantation ended with, “ _Wind Blade!_ ” and a growing tornado birthed itself from her fingertips.

Claude swiveled his body, ready to jump out of the line of attack. His eyes zeroed in on Alen. “Get off the road!”

The mayor’s son threw himself to the ground just as the cyclone swept the bandits from their feet. Claude turned his attention to the oncoming gust and made the leap off the road. His foot caught the shoulder of the dead bandit he had stabbed just moments before, and fell on top of the other bandits, all bodies squirming and cursing, arms and legs entangled. Claude panicked as he sought his sword, but it tumbled from his hand.

Alen sidestepped around the dog pile, and appeared to hesitate as he raised his sword above one of the bandits. The other bandit rolled onto his back, snatched Alen’s ankle and yanked him to the ground. Alen yelped as he fell, becoming trapped within his white cape. 

The first bandit climbed to his feet and seized his sword, and Claude reached for his just as the bandit recovered his own. The bandit pursued the ensign, jabbing and slashing. Claude scrambled backward, his blade over his head like a shield. His chest burn with panic, he unsure if he would be able to defend the next strike.

Embers swirled around Celine’s wrist. “ _Firebolt!_ ” 

The bandit did a double take before leaping off the road. Claude ducked and covered his head. The torrent of fire spiraled over him and engulfed a bush. Alen untangled himself from his cape, and struggled to stand. He swayed and prepared himself to strike, but stepped on the corner of the long fabric and flopped back to the ground.

Claude’s distraction broke with Celine’s voice, “Claude, behind you!”

The bandit staggered to his feet and bulleted toward Claude. The ensign dodged to the side and rushed off of the road. The bandit came at him again, the sword swipe nicking the tip of his nose as he hopped back. Claude hissed and seized the wound, but had little time to react when the bandit pursued him again. Claude deflected the first strike and deadlocked in the second. He dug his heels into the ground, arms and chest burning as he pushed against the bandit. He felt his strength waning, and hoped it didn’t show in his face.

From out of the corner of his eye, Claude saw the bandit, who had grabbed Alen, tower over him, sword positioned at his throat. Claude tried to break the deadlock, but the bandit pushed closer. Claude’s feet scuffled back, his arms burning and shaking from the strain. He thought he could hear Celine mumbling to herself.

The bandit loosened his hold and Claude lost balance, arms thrown over his head. The bandit plunged his sword into Claude’s right shoulder, twisted, and yanked it out. Claude screamed, though he couldn’t immediately register the pain. He dropped to his knee and clenched the wound. Blood trickled over his fingers and down his arm in tiny streams. He stared at it and felt a small, wet trail drop from the bridge of his nose and roll over his lips. It fell to the ground with a red shine.

Alen snapped a kick from on the ground, and the targeted bandit smashed into his partner. Both tripped over each other, cursing and sputtering insults. Claude squeezed his injured shoulder, the wound throbbing and numbing beneath his fingertips. Blood poured over his hand, but he pushed that all from his mind and stood.

He told himself not to think about that, or the battle, or the fact that Dias would never have had this much trouble had he been around. From the way Rena described him, taking a life appeared to mean very little, unlike Claude, who realized that the prospect frightened and angered him. He had never been trained to take a life, but the thought of his friends losing theirs was an undeniable possibility he didn’t want to consider, either.

Claude exhaled and raised his blade in spite of the pain. Alen wheezed from behind, and Claude cast a glance in the other’s direction. The white cape hung over his shoulders in a clumped mess, but Alen held his blade firm. His eyes focused on the bandits, who had gained their composure and circled him. Celine’s mumbling heightened, and Claude recognized the sound of an incantation. Although Alen appeared prepared, uncertainty reflected in his eyes. One sword pointed at Alen’s chest, while the other at his back. The bandits edged closer. Claude could not lift his blade; his shoulder had gone numb.

He squeezed his eyes shut and shouted, “Celine, _hurry._ ”

Her voice erupted behind him, “ _Starlight!_ ”

Claude’s eyes opened, the sky above exploding into a bright, white light. He half-shielded his face with one hand, mesmerized by the twinkle of a makeshift star and congregated colors of the rainbow. The stream of colors spiraled downward like a revolving staircase, led by the blooming star. The distracted bandits allowed Alen to push between them and flee, and Claude took cover off from the road.

He smashed his ears with his hands just as the roar of wind overtook him, but the impact knocked him from his feet and he toppled into a bush. The thorns and branches pricked his face and skin, but he kept his eyes closed and hands over his ears. The ground rumbled beneath him, and he sank deeper into the center of the bush. He could do nothing but brace himself against the tremors, and focus on the intense pain in his shoulder.

Silence followed, but he found himself too unnerved to open his eyes. When he did, he saw nothing but foliage and green shrubbery, and the ends of his feet directed heavenward. His body ached and burned and he granted himself a moment before tumbling out of the bush.

His nose stung with the smell of burnt flesh, and he tried to keep his eyes from the black, smoldering pile of bodies. Small flames danced over the corpses like a campfire, and crackled and sparkled like lit tinder. He almost sneezed, but rubbed his nose with the back of his hand.

“You okay?” came Celine’s voice, but Claude couldn’t be sure whom she was talking to.

“Ugh…” Alen crawled toward the road. Dirt and blood stained his face and fine, white clothes. A defined boot print marred his cape. He gave a quick glance to the charred remains and said, “I didn’t expect this much trouble.”

Claude rolled onto his side and rubbed his eyes. Stickers poked out from his gloves and flesh. He stopped rubbing his eyes and blinked the dirt away to no avail.

“Claude darling.” A shadow towered over him. “Are you all right?”

“No,” emerged from his lips before he knew it.

“Mr. Kenni?” Another set of footsteps of approached, and several hands wrapped around Claude and tugged him to his feet.

Claude tried to keep from becoming dead weight, but his head hurt like hell, and his shoulder felt numb. Alen and Celine stood on each side with arms entangled around him.

“Oh my, you’re bleeding.” Celine stepped away while Alen held him upright. She rummaged through her bag and came back with a bottle and bandages. “Those bandits did a number on you, didn’t they?”

Feeling the blood rush to his head, the ensign could only concentrate on his dizzy spell. He vaguely realized that his sword wasn’t with him anymore, either.

“You don’t believe what the bandits said, do you?” Alen asked, a hint of urgency in his voice. “About Rena and Dias being dead, I mean. Do you think they were telling the truth?”

“What a stupid thing to suggest,” Celine snapped and paused over the opening of her bag. “Do you _honestly_ believe them to be so weak? Have faith, dammit.”

“I…I’m sorry.” Alen’s eyes fell, and Claude caught a small tremble in his lips. He couldn’t blame the mayor’s son, however. For a brief moment, Claude had believed the bandits, too. “You’re right. Of course you’re right. How very silly of me to suggest such a notion.”

Celine went back to searching in her bag. “You’re absolutely correct.”

“Yes, of course,” Alen said. “I mean, have you noticed that the bandits are becoming more aggressive?” Claude found that he was having a difficult time processing the question. Alen continued, “The bandits must be lying, otherwise there wouldn’t have been a pressing need to be so aggressive. Whatever it is that Rena and Dias are doing must be aggravating the perpetrators, so it makes sense that they would try to deceive us.”

The sorceress sighed. “Could you please stop talking, Alen?”

His jaw snapped shut and he looked to the ground again.

Celine instructed Claude to remove his jacket, which Alen helped with. The two settled him in the grass off the road, and Celine knelt beside him. She dropped her bag next to them and Alen hovered, dusting himself and straightening his clothes. Small scratches lined his face and neck, and he fidgeted with the top of his hand where a bright, red welt emerged from within the torn slit of black fabric.

Celine’s hands moved over Claude’s wound and she said, “Still…I wonder where they are. I thought we’d have seen them by now.”

She glanced at Claude, as though expecting a reply. He didn’t want her to see a hint of worry or anxiousness. He didn’t want her to recognize the same fear that Alen had exuded earlier. He indulged in her stare, struggling for a straight face, and shrugged before saying, “How should I know?”

His response prompted a dry chuckle from her and a shake of the head. Celine tugged off one of her gloves with her teeth, and poured the viscous medicine into her hand. He hissed through his teeth when she applied the salve, rubbing it with her fingers with a less than gentle touch. He looked away, noting that it was nothing like any of Rena’s healing spells, which were soft and warm.

Claude flinched.

Rena would never use her powers on him again, now that she was by Dias’ side.

He scowled, and Celine’s hands pulled back. She stared at him and asked, “Am I hurting you?”

Claude’s anger fled at the thought of her getting the wrong impression, and averted his eyes. “Oh, uh…no, that’s not it.”

She surprised him with another chuckle and she went back to the wound. “I didn’t think so.”

He narrowed his eyes, and deliberated for a moment before daring to ask, “What’s so funny?”

“I do believe, Mr. Kenni,” Alen hovered above, still rubbing his hand, “that your bad mood is stimulating from Rena’s actions. However, it appears that we are getting ready to enter the heat of the battle. We must keep our minds clear.”

There were a hundred things that Claude wanted to retort, such as, “Says the guy who initially believed that they were dead,” but found himself gazing at the ground and waited for Celine to finish tending to his wound. 

“How’s your ankle, Alen?” he mumbled after a moment.

Alen’s brows lifted and his lips pushed together, as though the question had caught him off guard. He cleared his throat and stepped closer to Claude. “It…It’s fine. A little twisted, but I should be good to walk.”

“Glad to hear that.” Celine put the medicine and bandages into her bag before slipping the glove over her fingers. “We’re going to need all of our strength against these bandits.”

Claude grabbed his jacket with his left hand and shrugged into the sleeves. “Thanks, Celine.”

She helped him stand with a, “You’re welcome,” and Claude examined the bush he had fallen into. There, hilt facing the sky, was his blade, tangled in the leaves and thin branches. He plucked it and wiped it clean with his handkerchief.

Although he had grown used to the smell of iron and burnt flesh, he kept his attention diverted from the blood, decapitated head, and the dying flames on black bodies.

He coughed and snorted before saying, “Let’s keep going.”

Claude turned and made haste down the road, away from the carnage that he still couldn’t believe he had been a part of. He felt numb, the idea of having taken a human life still leaving him unsettled. He wondered if he would ever be okay with it. Wordlessly, Alen and Celine came up from behind, Alen limping. Claude slowed his pace to compensate for the mayor’s son’s injury. He glanced over his shoulder to speak, but the flicker of green from off the road distracted him.

Isaac smiled, even as he neared them. “Oh, good, I found you.”

Claude squared his body to face him, and his companions did the same.

“Stable boy?” Alen blinked. “What are you doing here? Your post is at the village. And what of my horse? You should be tending to him, as well.”

Isaac’s smile transitioned into his trademark scowl. “I am _not_ a stable boy.”

“Never mind that.” Celine approached him with slow steps. “Isaac, you’re supposed to be with the others in case the bandits return to Mars for the book.”

Isaac’s smile returned and he interlocked his fingers across his stomach. “I’ve done all that I need to do there, so I thought it best to find you.”

Alen protested, “But what of my hors—”

Celine silenced him with a hand and asked, “And the children? Has there been news?”

Isaac closed his eyes and sighed.

Claude’s teeth clamped down on one side of his cheek and he looked to Celine. He couldn’t help but feel nervous, and Celine’s wary eyes didn’t assuage him any. 

“Well,” Claude began, “if he’s here, then I’d imagine that Rena and Dias have already disposed of the bandits.”

He watched Isaac’s face for any sign of affirmation. He imagined that Celine was doing the same. Claude recognized her Cheshire grin and she shrugged.

“Aww…” Celine added a sigh. “So, the bandits are all dead, then?”

Isaac’s lips split into a pearly grin and he shook a finger at them. “Not at all. The bandits are all alive and well, in fact.”

Alen stepped around Celine, face contorted as he asked, “What are you saying?”

Isaac’s eyes beheld Celine, and he reached out as if to touch her face. She jerked away from him. Isaac’s hand fell to his side and he said, “The only person you should be concerned with, my dear Celine, is your father.”

From next to him, Claude could sense the sorceress stiffen, and he cast a glance at her. Her lips parted, eyes wide. 

She sputtered, “M-My father…?”

“Wait.” Claude found security in his blade, a horrible realization overwhelming him. He pulled the sword from the sheath as he asked, “Are you implying that you’ve done something to Egras?”

“You’re a trusting lot.” Isaac flicked back the fold of his cloak to reveal something square and flat shoved under his belt. “All I had to do was take control of this miserable man’s body and thoughts in order to fool you, and then steal the book when you weren’t looking.”

“So…stable boy…” Alen unsheathed his blade. “ _You’re_ the one.”

“Isaac…” Celine grit her teeth, eyes darkening in a way that Claude had never seen from her before. “You’re the leader of the bandits.”

Isaac pulled the book from his belt and waved it at her. “The one you call ‘Isaac’ no longer inhabits this flesh, my dear. I claimed his life the moment I seized control of his mind. If it helps you to remember him this way, however, I won’t stop you.”

Claude could not stop the emerging rage within him. Rena, Dias, the act of taking another’s life, his wounds—all of these created the torrent of emotions that spiraled in his body. But to learn that they had been deceived all along, Claude found himself losing control of his rationale.

“I’ll make you pay for this.” Claude swung his sword in an effort to intimidate. “For _all_ that you’ve done.”

The book glowed in Isaac’s hand as he tossed his head back and laughed. “Believe me when I say that I will enjoy ripping you from limb to limb.” A green glow pulsated across Isaac’s body until he became embraced in it. “I tire of this wretched human skin. Allow me to reveal my true self.”

Claude told himself to calm down, but his mind would not listen so easily. He let his eyes fall on Alen, whose sword quaked in his hand, even through his determined eyes. Claude focused on the emerald stone behind the glow of what was once Isaac.

 _A stone…_ he realized. _Just like Alen’s._

Limbs stretching like fine leather, the body of Isaac changed before Claude’s eyes. The human head split in two, a slushy noise sending chills up his body as guts dropped to the ground, followed by the skin and clothes of what used to be a man. The green cloak pooled around the blood puddle, and a large, gray-scaled monster stood in place.

Claws stretched from the giant, oval body of the monster, and wide, yellow eyes shifted between each of the prey before him. Teeth curled over thick lips, stained a dull flaxen and brown. A sudden stench filled the air, and it was all Claude could do to keep from vomiting.

“I am Vermillion,” the monster announced, its voice much deeper and raspier than it had once been. “Take pleasure in knowing that you shall die by my hand. As for your other friends, Azamugil has done a fine job of smashing their heads in.”

Celine gasped and Alen’s eyes narrowed together. Claude felt his own body grow hot and stiffen at the thought of Rena’s broken form sprawled out at the feet of their adversary. The sword shook in his hand.

He swallowed the blockage in his throat and roared. “Shut up, you _bastard!_ ” He sprung into the air, his sword glimmering against the green glow surrounding the monster.

Vermillion dodged and swiped him away with his hand. Claude’s body thumped against the ground, the pain searing across him. His head conked against a bed of pebbles, but the rage in his body fueled a quick recovery, and he forced himself to his feet. Alen rushed forward with his sword swinging, while Celine focused herself in on an incantation, the tattoos on her body glowing as the words freely escaped her lips. Alen circled the monster, and jabbed his blade at its torso. Vermillion swiveled, a long arm swept through the air to knock the mayor’s son to the ground.

Claude moved in from behind and slashed his sword across the monster’s back. Vermillion howled and lunged back, stomping on Alen’s arm in the process. He screamed, sword skittering from his hand. When the monster moved, Alen brought the injured arm close, and rolled onto his side. From above, Vermillion clenched a fist and hammered it down toward Alen. Claude flipped his blade to his backhand and blocked the monster’s fist, pushing against it with all the strength he could muster.

The green stone hovered above Vermillion, drawing Claude’s attention to it. 

“ _Thunderbolt!_ ” Lightning whizzed by an unsuspecting Claude, and voltage wrapped around the monster’s head. Vermillion’s screams were drowned in the sharp sizzles and crackles of light.

The force of the blast knocked Claude to his bottom, and he held himself there before turning his attention to Alen. The mayor’s son flipped onto his back, eyes squeezed closed and gasping in short, agonized breaths.

Claude called out to Alen before flinging himself away from the violent sparks of Celine’s storm. Alen managed to scramble away, hand held close to his chest, and staggered to his feet. He hobbled to Claude, whose legs wobbled beneath him. 

“Are you okay?” Claude asked, though his eyes fastened on Vermillion. The storm dissipated, and the monster was left standing.

“I’m fine,” Alen said cradling his arm. The strain in his voice suggested otherwise. “I think my wrist is broken. I can’t fight.”

Claude grimaced and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Stand back.”

Twirling the hilt of his sword in one hand, Claude took the opportunity Celine had granted him and plunged the blade into the monster’s side. Vermillion roared and shook his body like an oak tree. Claude struggled to pull the sword from the monster’s flailing body and shuffled back. Vermillion appeared unfazed by the wound and pursued the ensign. When the monster came into range, he flung a mighty arm forward, the heavy sound of swiping air ripping against Claude’s ears. He ducked, but Vermillion did not retaliate.

The monster stiffened and gurgled. Alen emerged from behind, his recovered blade in Vermillion’s back. The mayor’s son’s eyes found Claude and he leaned forward to seize the hilt with his left hand.

“I used my other hand,” he said and twisted the blade in the wound.

Vermillion revolved his body and slammed the back of his arm into Alen’s face. The mayor’s son sailed through the air and smashed into the trunk of a tree. Claude grimaced at the heavy thud his body made, and he remained, in a crumpled heap, at the tree’s base.

Claude dashed off the road, but stopped some feet away and shouted, “Alen!” He paused to see if Alen responded.

He didn’t.

“Claude, stand back,” Celine commanded. “I’m going to use one of the strongest spells I know. I don’t want you to be caught in the blast.”

“Like hell you will,” Vermillion snarled, and pulled Alen’s sword from his back. He flung it to the ground and stormed toward Celine, long arms reaching for her.

Celine kept her face firm, and moved out of the monster’s grasp. Claude charged Vermillion, and positioned his sword toward him. As Vermillion grabbed for her again, Claude shoved the sword into the bleeding wound from Alen’s sword. Vermillion contracted his body and roared. Claude pulled back with his sword as the monster turned on him, yellow eyes wide and concentrated.

 _Come and get me…_ were the words that echoed in the ensign’s mind, and he could feel a bead of sweat worm its way down his face, curve around his nose and continue the voyage down his lips. 

Claude didn’t move. He felt more ready now than ever.

Eyes blazing, the monster flung its arms to strike Claude, the beat of heavy wind unnerving the ensign, but he commanded himself to stay focused. He pounced from the balls of his feet just as Vermillion seized air and secured himself onto Vermillion’s back. He leaned in close to the monster’s ear.

“Tell me again that they’re dead,” he spat. “I just _dare_ you to say that.”

Vermillion growled and wildly shook his body, but Claude sank the tip of his blade into the back of the monster’s scaly neck. Vermillion’s screams caused the ensign to wince, and the monster swung its long arms, grabby hands searching for him. Claude lost his balance, and seized the end of his sword. His legs dangled in the air, and he kept a sharp eye on the flailing limbs. Vermillion smashed his body into a tree, pinning Claude between him and it, leaving him dazed and weak. He and the sword tumbled into a bush next to the tree.       

Claude’s mind could hardly register the “ _Energy Arrow!_ ” from Celine’s lips, and the purple lightning bolt in the sky.

Claude forced himself out from the bush, unfocused eyes on Celine and the glistening bow in her hands. Drawing power to the glowing bow, she pulled back on the string, and released the purple lightning bolt into the air. It sank into Vermillion’s belly, a rush of wind blowing the monster back. A cry rippled through the vicinity that Claude could not be sure if it had come from the monster or the staggering gust. Vermillion’s long fingers tried to pull the bolt from its body, gray ooze pouring from the wound and over his clawed fingers in thick rivers.

The purple bolt sank into the flesh, until the monster glowed the same color. The howl faded, his hands fell away, and the monster exploded into big pieces. Celine threw herself to the ground and Claude turned to bury his head into the bush. Something firm, yet squishy, hit his backside, but he did not lift his head until the blast subsided. The roar of wind caused his ears to ring, but he held himself firm. His fingers squeezed the branches in the bush until he could feel them pricked, but he didn’t care.

When the world around him died, he felt himself collapse with it.

Claude remained hunched over the bush for a long time and listened to the wind die away until all he could hear were birds chirping in the distance. He lifted his head, which still hurt and rang as though a bell had been struck inside of it.

He drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes, his fingers fumbling in the space next to him, seeking his sword. When he couldn’t find it, he fought his body’s protests and opened his eyes, then turned his head so that the side of his face nestled against the leaves and branches of the bush. A thorn scraped against his cheek, but he ignored it.

He spotted the glitter of silver only a few feet from him, stained with red. He wanted to turn—wanted to see what had become of the monster, but the stiffness in his body made it difficult. His back hurt, his head ached, his lips were cracked and his mouth felt dry.

The name hummed in the back of his throat before he could sputter out, “C-Celine…?”

He didn’t hear a response. Claude prayed that nothing had happened. His thoughts wandered to Alen, and he hoped the mayor’s son was alive. He had to know. He told himself to get up. He told himself that his friends needed his help.

He gave up on retrieving his sword, and Claude forced every muscle to push himself back into a sitting position. The world around him spun, and his head pulsated something awful. The rest of his body agreed and begged for rest. Slowly turning himself so that he was on all fours, Claude crawled to the tree that had betrayed him in the fight. Now, he begged for its assistance. 

Propping himself against it, he leaned into the bark and stood, feet sliding around in the mud and dirt. He clenched his teeth, and dug his fingers into the bark. Feeling his weight successfully leave the ground, He wrapped his other arm around the trunk and pulled himself to an upright position.

He held his breath. Vermillion lay in scattered pieces along the road, a chunk of him near the bush where Claude had fallen, but the majority of his body remained in a crumpled pile. The rank smell of charbroiled skin and organs nauseated the ensign, but he refocused his attention on his friends. He looked to where he expected Alen to be, and still was. Then he turned his head to the left, Celine on her stomach.

“Celine,” he called out again. She didn’t move.

He staggered from the tree and to a bush blocking his way. He pushed his body through it, ignoring the thick limbs and thorns in the middle, and how they stabbed and ripped his skin. Tripping on the other side, he dropped down to the ground and frantically crawled to her. He grabbed her by the shoulders and flipped her over. Her head lolled back, strands of lavender hair matted across her face.

Guts and black ooze smeared all over her body, and he found that he was covered in it, too. Her half-lidded eyes were unfocused, and he hoped that she was merely unconscious. He gave her a little shake, prompting a stir from the back of her throat. Eyes staring ahead, she barely blinked and offered a weak smile.

She cracked out, “That spell took a lot out of me.”

He found that he could not return her smile. “Are you all right?”

She went limp in his arms. For a moment, he feared the worst, but then she sighed. “Yeah…Just give me a few minutes and I’ll be fine.” Her eyes closed and her chest wracked with coughs. He held her until they subsided and she requested, “Think you could prop me up against that tree?” She gestured with her head in a direction and he looked over his shoulder.

“No problem,” he said and stared at the curved trunk from off the road. The waning strength in his arms reminded him of his own injuries, and he hoped he had enough left to carry her there.

He had to have seen the trouble in his eyes because she laughed and said, “Just help me crawl over there is all. I saw what the monster did to you. You’re in no better position than me.” Her laughter died. “How’s Alen?”

His face scrunched upon the mentioning of the mayor’s son. He hoped to all that was holy that he was all right, and had the burning desire to check on him as soon as possible. 

“I don’t know,” he admitted and helped her onto her knees. “Let’s get you to the tree and I’ll check.”

He kept close as they crawled off the road toward the tree. She grunted and flipped her palm upright. A rock embedded itself into the meatiest part of her hand and she flicked it away. He helped her forward, ignoring the burning pain in his shoulder and back. His hands and arms were caked in Vermillion’s remains, and he tried not to wipe more of it on her.

As though reading his mind, she slid up to the tree, cracked out a laugh, and said, “Just look at my poor clothes. My skin and hair are a mess.”

He didn’t find the situation as funny, but forced a chuckle and said, “Could be worse.”

She nodded and motioned for her bag, which had been thrown some feet away. “There should be some smelling salts in there,” she said. “Take it to him.” 

He complied and pushed up to his feet. He swayed, steadied himself, and stiffly moved toward the bag. It had been flung onto its side during the battle, and several bottles, bandages, and rations lay scattered on the ground. He crouched and sifted through it.

It took him no longer than three seconds to feel completely lost at what he was staring at. Not being familiar with the herbs and medicines of this world, he took to overturning the bag and let the remainder of everything tumble from inside. A red vial bounced off of some weird bottle, and he recognized it as the medicine that Celine had worked with earlier. He stared at the weird bottle, which contained pearl colored crystals inside, and held it up for her to see. She nodded in affirmation and he quickly made his way to Alen, whom remained unmoving. He pulled the cork from the bottle and waved it under his nose, inwardly chanting a silent prayer.

The ensign shook him several times, checked for signs of breathing, and exhaled in relief when Alen sputtered and coughed.

“Take it easy.” Claude patted his back. “Are you all right?”

He was answered with more coughs. Claude laughed and pushed the cork back into the bottle.

“Claude,” the sorceress waved. “You’d do best to put some salve on yourself. You remember, right? The one I used on you earlier.”

He nodded. “In just a minute. We need to hurry back to the village.”

Her face paled. He assumed she remembered what Vermillion had said about her father. Claude’s eyes fell on Alen. It took the mayor’s son a little longer to fully regain consciousness, but once he was able to sit by himself, Claude left him alone to pick up his fallen sword and check on Celine. The sorceress had grown quiet in those moments, and appeared distressed and uneasy, though she said nothing of the matter and offered to apply the salve to Claude’s back and shoulder. He removed his jacket and pulled up on his black shirt.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “Your father…”

“What’s done is done with my father,” she said in quivering tones. “We can’t have these wounds getting infected.”

He admired her resolve, but couldn’t shake the uneasiness from his thoughts. Even though he imagined that she was panicking on the inside, she appeared levelheaded and collected as she dictated the priorities.

“Are you still weak from spellcasting?” he asked with his back to her.

Her cool fingers rubbed against his spine and he grimaced when she touched a tender area below his shoulder blade.

“Oh, I’ll be okay in a minute. That spell always outdoes me.” 

Once the medicine cooled on his skin and the bleeding stopped, he pulled down his shirt and gently put on his jacket. From his left, he heard a deep sigh. Alen stood over Vermillion’s remains, his gaze rueful, and he shook his head.

“I wish it hadn’t come to that,” he said. “I never would’ve thought that that good stable boy was one of…them…”

“Isaac was never a favorite of mine,” Celine confessed and struggled to stand. “As a child, he always scolded me and my friends for silly things. A little goody-goody, always sucking up to Abelard.” She turned her head and mumbled, “I’m surprised that the monsters would’ve chosen him to possess.”

“It’s still unkind to speak of the dead that way,” Alen reprimanded. “Perhaps he wasn’t a pleasant stable boy, but he didn’t deserve what happened to him.”

Celine remained standing against the tree for a while longer. She swallowed and closed her eyes, one hand clenching into a fist as the strain on her face appeared.

“Actually…” Claude stepped in next to Alen. “I remember seeing a stone with him, much like the one you had.”

Alen’s eyes shifted to Claude and he pointed to his chest, “M-Me?”

“Yeah,” Claude said. “Remember the stone you found in the Salva Mines?”

His eyes turned on Celine, whose strain was replaced with a queer expression. He wondered why, and then realized that she probably had no idea of what they were talking about. Of course, she hadn’t been there at the time, so there was no way she could’ve known. The ensign would explain it to her later. As of now, their presence was needed in Mars.

“Yes,” Alen agreed after a moment. “Now that you mention it, I do remember him having that sort of stone on him.” A kind of epiphany seemed to have hit him, and he said, “Do you think that it’s related to the Sorcery Globe?”

At Claude’s nod, Alen’s face contorted. 

“You know exactly what I’m getting at here.” Claude looked at Celine. “That’s why we have to get back to the village and make sure that everything is all right.”

“No.” Celine stepped toward the body and knelt down. 

“No?” Claude echoed.

She hesitated, staring at something within the large wound in its belly. She made a face, held a shaky arm above it and, like a snake, whipped her hand into the ooze and pulled back just as quickly. In her messy fingers was a flat object dripping with the monster’s guts and organs. Celine appeared as though she were going to be sick, but shook her head and held the object away from her.

“That’s right.” Alen pointed to the object in her hand. “That’s the Book of Secret Seals the stable boy said he stole. Why in Tria’s name have they gone to so much trouble for one little book?”

“It’s not just a little book,” Celine said, tone flat and unwavering as she shook the entrails from the cover. “This book was written over a thousand years ago, detailing the evolution of Heraldic Arts, as well as the most advanced spells known to all magicians everywhere. Most can’t even read the early pages anymore, but I imagine that the bandits are after the latter half of its contents.” She eventually gave up trying to clean the book and exhaled.

“What’s in the latter half?” Alen quizzed.

At first, it seemed as though Celine wouldn’t answer, and Claude wondered if she even knew, considering how sacred the book was. However, after a moment, she said, “Elite skills taught to only a select few.”

The ensign could recognize the discomfort in her eyes and intervened, “We must get back to Mars right away.”

“No,” Celine repeated, voice low and resolved. Her stony gaze returned to the body, though Claude imagined she was more troubled than she let on. “We can’t. The children…” Her eyes fell and it seemed painful for her to force out, “The children are our first priority. We must save them. Now that their leader is dead, the remaining bandits won’t have any qualms about killing them.”

Claude grimaced. While that was true, the matter of Egras and…

And Rena. Vermillion said that she and Dias were dead.

His body shook and he turned away, unprepared to handle the situation. He couldn’t take charge. He couldn’t even send Alen back, lest the mayor’s son get himself killed along the way. But he wanted to see for himself what had become of Rena. If anything had happened to her and he had never gotten the chance to apologize…

“Claude?”

That voice…

 _Her_ voice…

Coming back to life, Claude circled around, his gaze on Rena Lanford, who was _not_ dead, but staring at him with tears building in her eyes. Before he knew it, his vision blurred and he blinked the wall back in his own eyes.

“R-Rena,” he said, her name cracking on his tongue. He couldn’t quite describe himself at that moment, his happiness, his relief, and how every bit of that and more washed over him with warmth.

She offered him a genuine smile in return, and her hands clutched something around her neck. 

“Thank Tria,” he thought he heard her whisper and then her eyes drifted over to the standing body beside him. Eyes widening in disbelief, she managed, “Alen?”

“Rena,” he waved, diligently. “I’m happy to see that you and Dias have made it through this turmoil safely.”

As if on cue, Dias stepped out from behind the shadows, his eyes also grasping befuddlement. “Alen? What are you doing here?”

Alen gestured toward him, palm outstretched. “I could very much ask you the same thing.”

Eyes moving between both men, Claude was interested to see where the situation would lead. He was again reminded of his mother’s favorite soap operas. Now would come the moment of truth that all had been waiting for.

But Rena spoiled it when she jumped back with a shriek and pointed a shaky finger at the dead monster by Alen and Claude’s feet. “What _is_ that?”

“It’s the stable boy.” Alen shook his head. “In his true form, I should say.”

Her brows furrowed together. “The stable boy?”

Celine stood and shook the book away from her body again. Ooze splattered in the air. “What he means to say is that it’s what’s left of Isaac.”

Rena lowered her head and closed her eyes. “I see. So that’s who that man was talking about, then. This must be the bandits’ leader.”

Claude cocked an eyebrow, finding himself dreadfully confused. “That man?”

He didn’t get his response before Dias cut in, “The children are safe now.” But the ends of his lips twitched. He stepped forward, and peered closely at Vermillion’s remains. “Who defeated the monster?”

“Mr. Kenni is truly a remarkable swordsman,” Alen praised, and Claude had a vague idea of why, although wasn’t sure what the point of all of it was. “You certainly weren’t telling tales of his abilities, Rena. I see now why you put so much faith in him.”

Rena turned away and bit down on her thumb. Dias’ eyes widened, as though someone were lying to him. “You took this guy on by yourself?”

Feeling the stage set itself up, Claude offered the most arrogant smirk he could muster and nodded, “That’s right.” But when there was a loud harrumph from Celine, he quickly added, “Ah, with a bit of help from Celine and Alen, of course.”

“Alen?” Rena stared at her childhood friend, appearing quite confused.

Dias brushed past her, kicking the monster’s body as he went, and stood at the mouth of the forest path leading back toward the village. “So, if what Alen says is true, then Rena wasn’t lying after all.” Blue eyes sharply pierced through the ensign, and Dias said, “The Warrior, huh? I’d very much like to see your strength.”

Claude’s lips pressed into a thin line. He didn’t like the way Dias looked at him.

“Dias,” Alen began, but took too long to congregate what he wanted to say.

Dias placed a hand on his hilt and turned away. “I believe that the day we cross swords won’t be far off. It would be untrue if I said that I wasn’t looking forward to it.” Dias glanced over his shoulder and smiled, taking Claude by surprise. He added, “I apologize for my rudeness from before. Perhaps you wouldn’thave been a drag on me after all.”

And then Dias disappeared down the trail, the sound of his hilt tapping against his leg echoing after him. 

Claude stared after, his jaw slack. His eyes found Rena’s and he asked, “What’s he talking about?”

He could not read the expression on her face, and she broke eye contact with him to stare at the disappearing form of the dark, mysterious man who had left her side for however long he intended for it to be that way. 

Alen shifted and stooped over to pick up his sword. “Now that we are certain that the children are safe, it’s about time we return to check on Egras, yes?”

“Oh,” Celine flinched. “Yes.” Then she grabbed Rena’s arm. “Rena, you must hurry back to the village with me. I believe that my father is in great trouble.”

Before the young girl could protest or ask for further details, Celine shot down the road, dragging Rena by the arm. Claude realized that he was left without answers, and Alen gazed down at Vermillion’s body, shaking his head.

“Poor stable boy,” he mumbled, and closed his eyes to offer some kind of prayer. Claude found that he couldn’t quite understand it, but remained silent until Alen finished, and the two went after the girls.


End file.
